Matriarch
by corset-rebellion-follower
Summary: Tigress didn't become the Dragon Warrior. She couldn't defeat Tai Lung, and she never would because it wasn't her destiny. So what is her destiny? Are you born with a destiny, or is destiny thrust upon you? Tigress is about to find out.
1. The State of the Palace

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 1- The State of the Palace

After a long night the tired and fatigued moon finally set. Taking its place, the sun slowly peeked out over the horizon, spilling its warmth and light over the sleepy Valley below. A gong echoed through the new morning, splitting it open and awaking the sprawling grounds of the Jade Palace. In the simple wooden bunkhouse, everyone was wide awake and out of their rooms.

"Good morning, Master!"

This was one of the rare days that even Po was awake and cheery at the sound of the gong. But there was one voice missing. "Where's Tigress?" Viper whispered to Mantis. He shrugged.

"Yes, I was wondering the same thing," Shifu said. He threw open the doors to Tigress' room. It was empty. He raised an eyebrow.

"Where is she?" Po asked. Shifu knew full well where she was. She was in the training hall, up far before dawn and running through the obstacle course. She had been doing this for the past few days.

He had only caught her just the day before when he rose to have the gong rung and to meet his students. He had heard her yells and discovered her drenched in sweat and going through her most difficult forms. When he asked her how long she had been up, and she had replied that she had awoken around midnight and couldn't fall back asleep. He had made her to go back to sleep for a few hours, but later saw her silhouette in her room practicing.

"Go and eat. I'll find her," he ordered, heading down the hallway. The masters exchanged glances, but did what they were told.

"What's going on with her? She hasn't been waking up on time all this week, and now she's just gone," Crane said worriedly.

"She's been really hard on herself lately. And she hasn't been talking to anyone except Master Shifu. I'm really getting worried about her," Viper agreed.

"Why do you think she's been doing this?" Monkey asked. No one answered. It had been two full years since Tai Lung made his return, and for the most of those two years things were very comfortable. Po was in actual training now, and not just beating around the Adversary. He was becoming very serious about his training, knowing the difference between work and play.

Tigress had grown to respect him for that, and became his close friend in a very short time. But recently Tigress had been acting very strangely. She was skipping meals, spending more time in the training hall and less time with her friends.

"Maybe we should sit her down and make her tell us what's wrong. You know, an intervention," Po suggested.

"Thanks, but I'd like to keep my head," Mantis said dryly.

"Well someone has to do something! This just isn't healthy," Viper said. They were interrupted by the scolding gurgles and pleas of Po's stomach.

"How about we eat first, then plot?" Po asked sheepishly. They all entered the kitchen, and ate in silence. They were all thinking and worrying about their friend, and what was to happen to her. If these events went on much longer, Tigress would waste away to nothing! And the scary part for everyone was that Tigress didn't really seem to care. She just kept on doing this to herself. It was as if she _wanted _to waste away to nothing.

Everyone had noticed that she had lost weight off her already lean frame. She was beginning to look paler and more tired. Like a ghost. A ghost of her former self.

In the training hall, Master Shifu was watching Tigress silently from the doorway. She was doing elaborate jumps and backflips on the Field of Fiery Danger. She was much slower than she would be if she had food in her stomach and at least a few hours of sleep.

The flames reached up and would gently lick at her back and legs, not enough to set her on fire, but just enough so that she could feel the heat. He sighed and shook his head, making his way over to her. Tigress didn't even notice as he came close. Shifu waited until she was close enough to the edge before unceremoniously pulling her off the obstacle course and onto the floor.

"Oh… Good morning, Master," she panted.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I'm just starting a little early, Master Shifu." He frowned and looked her over. Before all of this had begun, Tigress was a very beautiful woman. She had perfect coordination and grace, and her presence commanded attention. The sharp red and orange hues of her eyes sparkled and shined, and Master Shifu had seen her rare smiles reduce many men into puddles of goo on the ground.

But now she was tired and was constantly knocking things over, tripping over her own feet. Her eyes lacked their luster. And she never smiled anymore. Not once. "Go back to sleep. When I come and get you, you will eat breakfast and then maybe begin training. We'll see how you're doing," he instructed.

"But… Master Shifu, I feel fine."

He glared at her, and she shrunk back a bit. "You will do as I tell you."

The rest of the group came in, and immediately every one of their eyes was on Tigress. "Crane, take Tigress back to her room, and make sure she stays there and gets rest. I'll be there in a while to check on her," Shifu said, turning his back on the tiger master.

"Yes, Master Shifu," Crane replied obediently. He quietly made his way to Tigress. "Hey, Tigress." She didn't answer, or even look at him. She only stood up and left the training hall. He sighed and followed. Outside the air was cold and windy. Winter was almost here, and the days of warm, sunny weather were long gone. There was even a thin layer of snow covering most of the ground.

Crane cringed when he saw Tigress' footprints. In some of them there were speckles and flecks of red, indicating that her feet were bleeding. He caught up with her, walking by her side silently for a few moments.

"Um… do you want me to bandage your feet when we get inside?" he asked quietly. Tigress didn't respond, she only kept walking. "Alright then." They both rushed into the warmth and comfort of the bunkhouse. And without another word, Tigress went into her room and slammed the door shut.

A/N: You know, I think I'm a little obsessed with Tigress. I don't know why, either. So, as a product of my toil and obsession, here is the first chapter of another fic of mine that is centered around our favorite female warrior (Unless Viper is your favorite. But whatever).


	2. In the Weeds

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 2- In the Weeds

Tigress stared at the ceiling of her room. She didn't understand Master Shifu. _If I don't train enough, he yells at me. If I do extra training, he yells at me. Where is the middle for this guy? _There was a tap at her door. Before she could stand up, Master Shifu was already inside. She couldn't read the look on his face.

"Tigress," he began. She recognized the tone. It was scolding, but still soft. "Why are you doing this to yourself?" he asked quietly.

"Doing what, Master?" she asked.

He dropped the softness. "You know perfectly well what I mean. Waking up before dawn, nearly killing yourself every day on the obstacle course, not getting any sleep for days at a time, and not eating! What's going on in your head that's making you do this?" he demanded.

"I'm just trying to make you proud, Master! Why am I at fault?" she cried. He looked her over, and then laid a hand over her paw.

"I will always be proud of you. Of all of you. But this isn't the way to make yourself better. You can only last so long on the bare minimum. Tigress, you're killing yourself! And it is my job as your master to ensure your safety." She took her paw away.

"Well I'm sorry for disappointing you. I'm just trying to follow my destiny." He raised an eyebrow.

"Your destiny?"

She nodded. "You told me it wasn't my destiny to defeat Tai Lung. And it wasn't my destiny to be the Dragon Warrior. So I'm just trying to follow my destiny and be the best I can as a master of my style," she explained.

He smiled and took her paw again. "Tigress, there is a difference between being the best and overkill. You can't continue this. I won't allow it," he insisted, "For today you won't do anymore training. There are some errands that I need to run in the village. I'll have Crane patch you up and then you'll both go together."

Tigress withheld a giggle induced by her master using the phrase "patch you up". "Master, I'm fine, really, I can—" She was cut off as Shifu took off one of her shoes and squeezed her foot. She cried out in pain. He inspected his hand, which was coated in her blood.

"We'll have to get those disinfected. And bundle up, it's cold out." He left her to find Crane. Tigress sighed in defeat and took off her other shoe, inspecting the bottom of it. They were raw and red, with small streams of blood here and there. _Maybe he has a point. _She knew she had been working herself to her physical limits. It was tough, and it hurt sometimes, but what didn't kill her would only make her stronger, right?

Crane entered carrying bandages, a cloth, and a bowl of water. He smiled at her, and she tried to smile back. Without saying anything to each other, Crane started washing her feet. She bit her lip and held back the cry that was desperate to be released. Crane saw her discomfort and dabbed her feet a little more gently.

"So… what's up? You haven't really been talking to anybody lately. Anything new?" he asked, trying to be cheerful.

She shook her head. "What… about you?" she inquired slowly.

He shrugged. "I've been working on my calligraphy a lot. Viper's birthday is coming up, so I thought I'd make her something." Tigress wanted to hit herself over the head. With her new schedule of training, she had completely forgotten about Viper's birthday.

"Oh… that sounds nice." Crane hit a particularly sore spot on her foot. "Ah, that hurts!" she strained, grabbing her foot.

"Sorry, sorry!" he hastily apologized. Eventually she let him resume his work. They continued swapping news, though it was awkward. Tigress felt worse and worse as Crane told her more about the recent happenings and events of her friends' lives.

Mantis had managed to hide in the stacks of scrolls in the Hall of Warriors and scare Master Shifu, causing him to fall into the Moon Pool. Monkey had finally caught Po eating his almond cookies, and she wished she could have been at the small party they held for Po to celebrate him getting through his first injury-free run of the obstacle course. _How could so much have happened without me? _

Crane insisted on Tigress wearing her heavy wool cloak so that she wouldn't freeze. "So what exactly are we supposed to be doing?" she asked as they started down the stairs.

"We need to pick up some groceries and some wood to fix that hole in the training hall." Tigress nodded as she remembered destroying the wooden warrior that made the hole.

"I should fix it, I broke it," she said.

He glanced at her. "No one blames you. Po makes lots of holes all the time," he noted. She still felt guilty, and resolved to convince Master Shifu to let her fix the hole. They were silent again for a while. Then Crane asked what Tigress knew he would ask sooner or later. "Tigress… why don't you do anything but training anymore?"

She cringed. This was something she _really _didn't want to talk about. "I… I suppose that I'm trying to find my purpose," she said cautiously.

"What do you mean?" She didn't answer. She just stopped and stared off into space. "Tigress?" Crane said, waving his wing in front of her face. She smacked it away.

"Shhh! Listen! Do you hear that?" she whispered.

"Hear what?"

"Shhh!" She started looking around. Crane was silent and listened carefully. Sure enough a noise met his ear. It was a soft, scared cry. Tigress crept to a clump of weeds that was withering and dying in the cold and snow. She parted them and gasped.

"What? What is it?" Crane whispered. His eyes widened.

In the grasses was a tiny tiger cub, which was whimpering and shaking violently. "What the…"

The child took notice of the two adults standing over him. He looked up at them and cried again, scrambling back. "No, don't be scared! We won't hurt you," Tigress soothed, trying to get him to come closer to her. He just scooted farther away. She sighed and picked him up, carefully cradling him in her arms. He trembled and squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

"Poor thing. I wonder how long he's been here," she said quietly. She noticed the child's clothes were torn and tattered.

"It looks like a while. He's pretty thin," Crane said, gently running his feathers down the cub's stomach. The cub squirmed and sobbed, trying desperately to get back to his weeds.

"Crane! It's alright, you don't have to be scared. You're safe now," Tigress whispered. She started rocking the cub. He quieted a bit and looked up at her with fearful eyes. She smiled and held him closer to her, trying to warm him. "He's so cold. We should get him back to the Jade Palace," she resolved, starting back up the steps. She took off her cloak and wrapped it around him.

"What are we going to tell Master Shifu?" Crane asked.

She shrugged. "He's a child, it's not like we can leave him out here. And it's getting closer to winter, he would freeze to death."

She stared intently at the child. He had stopped whimpering, but he was still shaking and large, salty tears were rolling down his cheeks. His bottom lip was quivering. Tigress wiped away the tears with her fingers and stroked his cheek. Slowly he stopped crying and shaking, and by the time they reached the top of the stairs, he was fast asleep.

Crane was watching Tigress. _She's really good with him. Maybe now she'll lighten up and start acting like her old self again. _Tigress just watched the cub as his chest rose and fell in his soft slumber.

She smiled.

A/N: Hope you liked chapter 2! Holla!


	3. No Admittance

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 3- No Admittance

The two friends entered the arena as quietly as possible, being careful not to wake up the cub. "We need to find Master Shifu. Do you know where he is?" Tigress whispered. Before Crane could answer, a loud call interrupted the conversation.

"HEY GUYS!" Po ran up to them. The cub was startled and he awoke. His large eyes fell on Po, and he whimpered and hid his face in Tigress' vest.

"Po, you're scaring him!" Tigress scolded.

"Sorry, I didn't know! What are you two doing with a tiger cub?" Po's eyes fell to Tigress' stomach.

"Don't even go there," she growled.

"Well you have been in a bad mood lately. I just thought that—"

"Look, this isn't important right now. We need to find Master Shifu, do you know where he is?" Crane asked.

"Um, I think he's in the training hall. Or maybe he was in the bunkhouse, it's one of those two, I'm sure," Po said. "So what's his name?" He leaned down to look at the cub. The cub peeked out from the fabric to see if Po had gone, but immediately hid his face again when he saw the panda.

"We don't know. We found him on the side of the stairs," Tigress explained.

"Whoa, seriously? But it's only like thirty degrees out here," Po said.

"Exactly, which is why we need to get him inside. I'll check the training hall, you two go to the bunkhouse," Crane directed. They went their separate ways.

"So he was just there? Who do you think his parents are?" Po asked.

"How am I supposed to know? It's not like he has a nametag," she snapped. She ignored Po's next question and watched the cub. He removed his face from her shirt, and looked back up at her. She smiled, and scratched him under the chin, making him purr.

"You two make quite a pair. He's really cute," Po commented, ruffling the fur on the top of his head. He squirmed in Tigress' arms, and she glared at the panda. They entered the warmth of the bunkhouse. The cub sat up in her arms and looked around.

"MASTER SHIFU? ARE YOU IN HERE?" Po yelled.

Tigress hit him upside the head. "Keep it down!" The cub had started crying again. She tried to calm him, but he wiggled out of her arms and ran into Viper's room. "Wait!" She threw the doors open, and saw Viper and the cub staring at each other, both perfectly still.

"Viper, don't make any sudden movements or loud noises," she warned.

"Why not?" The cub ran behind Tigress' leg. She stooped down and picked him up, the cub softly cried as it hid in her shirt again, not wanting all the attention it was receiving. "Tigress, what's going on?" Viper asked.

The commotion had brought Monkey and Mantis out of their rooms. "Whoa, a kid. Where'd you get him?" Mantis asked. Viper rolled her eyes.

"That's not important. Where is Master Shifu, I need to speak with him," Tigress insisted.

"He's not in here. He's in the Hall of Warriors."

Tigress glared at Po. He grinned sheepishly. "Heh… oops. My bad." She shook her head and left her friends.

Once they were alone again, the cub looked up at her. His eyes were almost the same hue as hers. He wiped away his tears with his wrist and sniffled. She wrapped the cloak tighter around him, and he snuggled into the fabric. A small smile formed on his face. They entered the Hall of Warriors and once again felt the heat caress their bodies.

Sure enough, the tiny kung fu master was meditating in front of rows of candles. The cub was no longer crying or even seemed scared. He was looking around the room with curious eyes.

"Master."

Shifu didn't turn around. "You're back early," Shifu said.

"I know, but I need to show you something."

"What is it?" Shifu asked, finally turning around and giving them his full attention.

She sat down next to him and showed him the cub. His eyes widened as he scanned his eyes over the tiger. The cub stared back at him with wide eyes, as if he didn't know whether to be scared or not. "I found him, Master."

"You found a child by itself in the Valley?" Shifu asked. He sincerely hoped that this was the case and Tigress' recent behavior wasn't induced by shame of having sexual relations with a man out of marriage.

She nodded. "He was alone, and crying. So I brought him up here. What should we do, Master?"

Master Shifu looked away. "Find its parents."

She stared at him in disbelief. "…What?"

"It can't stay here. You need to find its parents," Shifu repeated. Tigress was stunned. _How could Master Shifu just send a child out into the cold? _

"Master Shifu, I don't think he has parents. What mother or father would leave their child in the wind and snow to freeze to death?" she asked.

"Just because they're his parents doesn't mean that they're good parents," Shifu noted.

"Then we should keep him! At least until winter is over. He doesn't have anywhere else to go." He turned his attention down to the cub, inspecting him. The cub started shaking and shrunk down into Tigress' cloak.

"What's your name?" Shifu asked. There was no answer.

"Maybe he can't talk yet," Tigress offered, trying her best to defend the child. This didn't really seem to change anything. Shifu took the cub's hand, and the cub flinched and pulled back, tears forming in his eyes. But Shifu continued, looking over the cub carefully.

He sighed. "We'll take it to an orphanage. It will be safe there."

"Shifu, you can't be serious! He can't be more than three years old, and he's scared to death of strangers. How could you put him in an orphanage?" she demanded. Shifu was a little shocked at this sudden outburst. Tigress had never addressed him informally, and she almost never defied him.

"And you are not a stranger?" he asked, trying to keep calm.

Tigress paused. She looked down at the cub, which was still shaking from being handled by Shifu. She smiled and kissed his forehead. "Master, please, we can't just get rid of him. He's too young to send away. I'll be responsible for him if you let him stay," she pleaded. Shifu glanced from the cub up to Tigress.

He sighed. "Very well. But if he starts causing trouble, we can't keep him. This place is too dangerous to take chances on."

Tigress smiled. "Thank you."

"And you'd better think of a name so we know what to call him," he added.

A small voice whispered, "Jiang." They both looked to the cub in shock. He yawned and snuggled into the cloak, looking up at Tigress before falling asleep. Tigress smiled and stroked his cheek.

"Jiang."

Master Shifu turned away from them and started out of the Hall. _Maybe this is what will bring Tigress back to us. I just hope that she knows what she's getting herself into._


	4. Apple cheeked

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 4: Apple-cheeked

Tigress watched Jiang as he sat on the edge of the kitchen table. He just sat patiently with his paws folded in his lap, head down, and perfectly still and quiet. _I'll have to get him some new clothes._

The shirt he had was torn at the sleeves, exposing his striped arms. It also was starting to rip on one of the side seams and the fabric at the stomach was starting to wear out. The bottom of his pant legs were torn and frayed, and his knees were visible through two holes, both of which had large scabs on them. His fur was matted and wet, and splattered with mud.

Po stood at the stove, stirring a pot of noodles. Crane was right, even though he had made the cub cry. Jiang was extremely thin. In addition to freezing to death, he could have easily starved.

_Or been kidnapped. Or he could have slipped on ice and broken something. Or he could have choked to death if one of the weeds wrapped around his throat and he couldn't get it off. Or he could have fallen down the stairs and cracked his head open. Or he could have killed himself. _Tigress shook her head. It wasn't exactly pleasant to think of every way Jiang could have died out in those weeds. He was alive, and he was safe, so it didn't really matter. _But I wonder what happened to his parents… who would just leave him to die out there? If they wanted him to be taken in at the Jade Palace, they could have just knocked on the door. _

She caught Jiang watching her, and the minute his eyes met hers, he looked back down to the paws in his lap. She smiled and scratched him behind the ear. He flinched and shook a little in response, but calmed after a while and let her continue.

Po watched them from the corner of his eye. _Poor little guy… I would be dead by now if I were in his condition. No place to sleep, no warmth… NO FOOD. Though we do have a similar sense of fashion,_ he thought, looking down at his own patched shorts. _Hmmm… maybe I should get some new pants._

"Okay, soup's on!" he exclaimed. He poured some of the broth into a bowl and placed it next to Jiang.

"Thank you," Tigress said.

He shrugged. "No problem. You want some? It's good," he coaxed, waving a ladleful of soup in front of her face.

She pushed it away with one finger. "No, that's alright." Even though Tigress had warmed up considerably to Po, she still stuck to her strict diet of healthy foods. She scooped up a spoonful of broth and held it near Jiang's mouth. "Drink this, it will make you feel better."

She moved it a little bit closer to his mouth, but he turned away from it. "Please, Jiang? It's really delicious," she beckoned. He shook his head and turned his head the other way. She put the spoon back in the bowl. "What's wrong? Aren't you hungry? You look like you haven't eaten in a while." She stroked the top of his head and down his cheek. He cried out and ran across the table, covering his face with his paws.

"No, no, don't run! It's okay, I'm not going to make you eat it if you don't want to," she soothed, reaching towards him. Jiang curled up until he was just a little ball of fur and cloth. Tigress sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I am such an idiot."

"No, you're not. It's not your fault that he's scared. This has to be a big adjustment for him, he's probably just a little overwhelmed," Po comforted.

"What am I doing, anyway? I have no idea how to take care of a child. Master Shifu was right, he should be somewhere where he can be well taken care of," she scolded herself.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing a pretty good job so far. This is just a little bump in the road. And you're only just starting, you're not going to be perfect at it right away."

She shook her head and rested her forehead on her palm. "No. I can't do this. I'll do something to screw it up."

There was a light tap on her arm. She looked up. Jiang put his little arms as far around her as he could and snuggled close to her. Tigress smiled a little. "Aww, that's so cute!" Po squealed girlishly. Tigress ignored him and took the cub into her arms, cradling him.

She took a spoonful of broth and held it to Jiang's lips. He slowly accepted it and drank it down. "See? You're not a failure. You just need some practice," Po said triumphantly.

She wasn't paying attention anymore. She just watched Jiang as he ate his soup. She set him back on the tabletop to make it easier for him to eat. Po smiled. _Man, she's a natural. It's almost like he's her kid. _

Tigress chuckled when Jiang tried to pick up chopsticks to eat the noodles. Jiang sniffled and wiped the corners of his eyes, putting the chopsticks down neatly next to him. She picked them up. "Don't feel bad about not being able to use these. Chopsticks are tricky, and you probably haven't developed your fine motor skills yet." She picked up some noodles and held them close to his mouth. He slurped them up, with some difficultly.

She laughed as he tried to get a stray noodle off the side of his mouth with his tongue. She wiped his mouth with a cloth. "There. Don't you feel better now that you've eaten a little?" He nodded meekly. "Are you still hungry?" she asked. He looked down at his paws and said nothing. She smiled a little and stood up. A few minutes later, she placed a small plate of pieces of plum in front of him.

"Eat this. It's good, and it's the last plum we have." Jiang looked up at her cautiously, and she nodded. He took a small chunk of the fruit and inspected it. He took a tiny nibble of it, and slowly finished the piece before picking up another.

Each time, he looked at Tigress, waiting for her nod of approval before he would eat it. "I wonder why he does that," Po said. She shrugged as she watched the tiger cub. He wasn't smiling, and he still had crystal tears in the corners of his eyes.

_There's something strange about Jiang… I don't know why he's so afraid._ She looked down to the floor and bit her lip. _Maybe… maybe it's me. Maybe I'm too overbearing, or too harsh on him. He's only a little boy, I need to be gentle with him. _

When she looked up, Jiang was looking at her, holding another piece of plum. She nodded and waited for him to eat. But instead he held up the piece to her. She smiled a little before taking it and popping it into her mouth. He sat down and took another piece, waiting again for her nod.

She sat down and gently kissed his forehead before nodding. And she could have sworn she saw a tiny smile on his face, even if it was only for a second.

A/N: Trust me, for anyone who doubts that you can crack your head open, you can. I did when I was eight, and it was not fun. I had to go to the emergency room. And my child development teacher is probably cackling right now, because somehow I actually remembered some of the stuff she taught me. OH NO! I'M LEARNING! AHHHHHHHHHHH! Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! Holla!


	5. Patching Jiang Up

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 5- Patching Jiang Up

After his meal, Jiang was starting to look a lot better. He didn't look as frail, and he seemed a little less afraid and a little more curious about this new place he was in. He still hid his face whenever someone other than himself and Tigress was in the room, though, and he was got upset very easily.

Tigress decided next that the cub needed something to properly cover himself. Though she had never done it before in her life, or even thought about it before, she tracked down a needle and thread to fix up the clothes that Jiang was wearing. She had put him down for a nap, and he had fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

As carefully as she could, she slipped his shirt off and inspected it. It looked worse when she looked at it up close, a lot more ragged. But she sighed and picked up the needle. _This shouldn't be too hard. It's just sewing, right? Nothing to it. _

She slipped the point of the needle through the cloth that made up one of the sleeves, slipping it back out in a simple stitch. Tigress smiled. _Okay. One done and it was easy. This isn't so bad._ It turned out to be much harder than she expected. She sewed the sleeve together twice, and nearly sewed her thumb to the clothing a couple times. But slowly and surely, she got the hang of it.

_This really isn't so bad. It's actually kind of relaxing. _She tied off the thread and cut it with her teeth. She held it up to get a better look at it. The sleeves looked a lot better, and the sides were reinforced with new, strong thread. The stomach was still thin, but it would have to do. She took Jiang into her arms and gently slid the shirt over his head.

After she put his arms through, he blinked his eyes halfway open. She smiled down at him and kissed his forehead. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Good morning, sweetheart. Did you have a nice nap?" she whispered. He nodded and yawned again, sitting up.

He immediately took notice of his sleeves, and ran his fingers over the new seams. Then his large eyes looked up at Tigress. She smiled and nuzzled him. "Come. You need some new clothes to replace those."

He squirmed away from her when she tried to pick him up. "I promise, Jiang, it'll be okay. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just so that you won't have to wear these torn clothes." Jiang shook his head and hid under the covers. She lifted the covers away to reveal a shaking cub. He looked up at her with teary eyes. She sighed and picked him up, wiping his new tears away with her thumb.

"But won't it be nice to have some clothes that don't have holes, and that keep you nice and warm and cozy?" she asked. He slid off the bed and ran to the door. He sat down and curled up on top of Tigress' cloak, which she had left in a pile before she went to get Jiang his meal.

She laughed and scooped him up, cloak and all. "I promise, it'll be quick and painless."

He tried to wiggle out of the cloak, but she held him steady, and finally he gave up. She wrapped him up tightly so that he wouldn't freeze out in the cold, and silently slipped out of her room.

"Tigress?"

She froze and slowly turned around. Viper was in the hallway right behind her. "Yes?" she asked.

"Where are you going?" Viper asked, slithering closer. Jiang hid inside the cloak, just barely peeking out to watch the emerald snake.

"I'm going to find Jiang some new clothes. It's getting closer to winter, and he needs something to keep him warm," Tigress explained.

"But you can't go out without your cloak on, you'll freeze!" Viper exclaimed.

Jiang stopped hiding and looked up at Tigress. "I'll be fine, I have fur, don't I? And I need to keep him warm. He needs this cloak more than I do," Tigress replied. Jiang didn't like that. He wormed out of the cloak and dropped to the floor. He wrapped his arms around Tigress' leg and shook his head.

"It looks like he thinks you should have it," Viper giggled.

Tigress sighed and draped the cloak over her shoulders, closing the toggle. "Everything better now?" she asked Jiang. He nodded and lifted his arms up to her. She picked him up, and he slipped underneath the cloak, snuggling closer to her.

"He's so cute! Do you need any help with shopping? I would love to come," Viper offered.

"That's alright, I think I can handle it on my own," Tigress said, turning away from her and starting down the hall.

"What about paying for stuff? Do you have enough money?"

Tigress swore silently, she had forgotten about money. She didn't have any. "I'll be fine, don't worry about it."

Viper sighed. "Alright, you're my best friend, so I'll be level about this. Master Shifu doesn't want you leaving the bunkhouse unless you have one of us with you. He's worried that you'll go back to the training hall."

Tigress stopped and paused. "I see. So he doesn't trust me anymore."

"No, no! He trusts you, he just wants to make sure that you don't hurt yourself. Crane told him you were in pretty bad shape when he looked you over," Viper explained.

"What did he tell you?" Tigress demanded, swiftly turning around. Her cloak swirled behind her, making Jiang giggle. Tigress smiled and scratched him behind the ear. That was the first laugh she had heard from him. "What did he tell you, Viper?" she demanded again.

"Only that your feet were bleeding pretty badly and that you were in some pain, that's all. I swear," Viper insisted.

"No, he told you something else, what did he say EXACTLY?" Tigress yelled. There was a slight whimper, and both females looked at Jiang. He was curling up into a ball again, shaking. Tigress starting rocking him, trying to calm him down. Tears proceeded to come down his cheeks, and Tigress sighed, sitting down on the floor and pulling him closer. "It's okay, sweetheart, you don't have to cry. I didn't mean to make you upset," she whispered.

Viper slithered closer to the two tigers. She was a little shocked at Tigress' behavior; she had never seen her friend being so feminine and gentle before. She leaned closer to Jiang and smiled. He cried out and hid his face with his paws. "What? What did I do?" Viper asked.

"He's just scared of you, you didn't do anything," Tigress reassured.

"All I did was smile. I was just trying to cheer him up!"

"It's not your fault, he's scared easily. He'll be okay," she insisted, standing back up.

Viper sighed. "It's probably better if I don't come, I don't want to upset him anymore," she said.

"No, I want you to come. I don't have any money, and I would be really grateful if you'd help me buy some fabric to make him clothes," Tigress said.

"You'll take care of it, huh?"

Tigress smiled sheepishly. "You know I don't like asking for money."

"And how are you even going to make him clothes, you can't sew," Viper pointed out.

"Thanks for your undying support. And for your information, I can sew, apparently. I fixed up Jiang's sleeves and one of the seams, it was about to fall apart. But his pants are barely holding together, and they're shredded pretty badly. Please, Viper?" Tigress stuck out her lower lip for emphasis, something she hadn't done since her own childhood.

Viper sighed. "Well, alright. But I want to watch you try and sew, that should be good for a laugh," she said as she went back into her room to get some money.

"Very funny, really," Tigress said dryly. After Viper had gotten her money, they headed down the stairs towards the village.

Jiang looked out from the cloak every few minutes to watch his surroundings nervously. It was still snowing, and he quickly became entranced with the white flakes falling from the sky. When a snowflake landed on his nose, he wrinkled it and sneezed, then hid himself in the cloak again. Tigress and Viper both chuckled.

When they reached the village, the snow was falling more heavily. They rushed inside the fabric shop and quickly shut the door. Jiang peeked out from the cloak again to inspect the new setting, but pulled himself inside when a female sow approached them.

"Well, Master Tigress and Master Viper, what an honor! Welcome to my shop," she said, bowing.

"Really, there's no need for that. We're just here on business," Tigress insisted, brushing some snow off her shoulders.

"If you need to warm up, the brazier is right over there. Feel free to get warm again," the sow offered, heading back behind the counter. Viper, who couldn't wear a cloak due to the way her body was shaped, immediately went over and perched herself next to the tub of hot coals.

"So how may I help you, Master Tigress?" the shopkeeper asked.

Tigress came up to the counter and sat Jiang on top of it. "I'm making some clothing for him and I need cloth," she explained. Jiang covered his eyes with his paws, parting his fingers to see if he was still being watched before turning away from the sow.

"Oh! I didn't know you had a child, or even that you were married! But I suppose with all those handsome men in the Jade Palace, it wouldn't be too hard."

Tigress blushed, "Actually, I'm not married, and he's not my child. I'm taking him in for the winter, until the weather is good enough for travelling to go and find his parents." Jiang looked up at her with wide eyes. He stood up and grabbed onto her vest, burying his face in the fabric.

The shopkeeper covered her mouth and giggled. "He seems to be very attached to you. What kind of fabric were you looking for?"

"Um…"

Viper spoke up from her spot next to the brazier. "She needs some shirt linen and some wool."

"Yeah, what she said."

The sow nodded and went off into the back room. Tigress looked down at Jiang, who was still hidden in her shirt.

_What am I going to do when winter is over? Master Shifu was right, wasn't he? He has parents, he has to. They may be worried about him. But if they were, they wouldn't have let him run off right as winter was coming. And what if he's an orphan? Master didn't agree to let him stay forever. What's going to become of him? I can't let him go to an orphanage. _

Her memory took her back to her own days in the Bao Gu Orphanage. She didn't have many friends until Master Shifu came into her life, and shortly after she had been taken to the Jade Palace. _No… no. I won't let that happen to Jiang. I'm not going to let what happened to me happened to him. _

She gently started stroking the top of his head. He finally removed himself from the cloth of her clothes. His eyes were watery and a little red. She wiped away any tears that were even considering being formed. "Please don't cry, Jiang. I hate to see you cry," she whispered.

He nodded and hugged her. The shopkeeper came back, invisible behind a tall stack of cloth. She set it on the counter and began laying them out. "I brought out a few colors that you could pick what you like," she explained.

"Thank you."

"Of course. And if you need anything else, just ask." She disappeared again.

Tigress looked over the cloth. There were browns, greens, blues, and reds. She bit her lip. There was a reason why all her shirts looked exactly the same, she was not the best at fashion. "Jiang." The cub looked up at her. "You see these?" she asked, pointing at the cloth. He looked at the stacks and nodded. "Why don't you pick out which ones you'd like for your new clothes?"

He stood up on the counter and walked over to the cloths. He sat himself down in front of them and looked over them. He ran his fingers over some of the fabrics, and threw his arms around a bundle of blue linen, hugging it tightly.

She laughed. "You like that one?" He nodded and pushed it to her. Eventually it grew into a pile of hugged fabrics, including some black and brown wool, and green linen the color of a pine tree.

"Have you decided?" the shopkeeper asked, watching as Jiang hid behind the new stack of cloth.

"Yes, it was quite clear which to choose," Tigress chuckled, picking Jiang up.

"What about special occasion clothes?" Viper asked, leaving the warmth of the coals to appraise the cloths Jiang had chosen.

"Does he need those?" Tigress asked.

Viper shrugged. "You tell me."

"Well, Master said he could stay through winter."

"New Year's is in winter. Don't you think he should have some nice clothes for that?" Viper asked.

"I—I suppose."

"I'll go get some silks," the sow said, once again disappearing into her back room. When she emerged, she had a much smaller stack of silks in the most vibrant red that Tigress had ever seen. It looked like it had been taken out of a glorious summer sunset. Jiang seemed to be just as beguiled by it.

"Oh, these are beautiful," Viper breathed.

"Why thank you. These came all the way from Peking," the shopkeeper said proudly.

"Which do you like, sweetheart?" Tigress asked Jiang. He immediately pointed to the cloth in the middle of the stack, which seemed to be the brightest.

"Well, he's a man who knows what he wants, that's for sure!" the sow laughed, setting the cloth he had chosen aside and putting the rest under the counter. Tigress also picked out some black silk for a pair of pants, along with needles and thread. At the last moment, she had added some golden thread to the growing pile.

"You're going to try embroidering? This is going to be better than I thought," Viper snickered.

"I might as well give it a try. I mean, you never know what you can do until you try, right?" Tigress asked, ignoring the stab at her sewing attempts. They paid for the goods, at a price that Tigress felt a little embarrassed at letting Viper take care of all by herself.

"Consider it a present for making Jiang cry," Viper insisted.

They thanked the sow for her help, and then proceeded back to the Palace to work on Jiang's new clothes, the aforementioned cub tucked away in Tigress' cloak.

A/N: Look, I know that these chapters with no huge action are kind of boring to readers, but I promise, the goods are coming soon! These are necessary for the story. Review, bitte! Holla!


	6. Rubber Ducky Tears

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 6- Rubber Ducky Tears

When they reached the Palace, Viper went inside to get warm again. Being cold-blooded can really suck sometimes. She headed to Tigress' room, to help her sew Jiang's clothes and to administer medical help if she needed to. Tigress took Jiang and went to find her friends. When she entered the training hall, she was greeted cordially.

"Get out of here right now!" Shifu ordered.

"But Master—"

"No buts, young lady, you're not allowed in here until you're fully back to health," he insisted.

"Did you just call me 'young lady'? I'm not a child anymore, Master!" Tigress declared angrily.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, you are not permitted to be in here!"

"Master, I'm just looking for Crane and Po. If I can borrow them for a while, I'll stay out," she said.

He paused. "Fine. They may go, but promise me that you'll rest," he said. She nodded. He sighed and turned away from her, muttering under his breath. Crane landed in front of the pair. Jiang hid from the avian master.

"What's up? How are you feeling?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. But I need you and Po to do a favor for me."

Po crash-landed next to Crane. "Ow… stupid swingy clubs. I don't know how you do that, Tigress."

She shrugged and half-smiled. "Look, I need to make some new clothes for Jiang. Can you—"

"Who's Jiang?" Po asked. Tigress looked down at the tiger cub, who was watching the males in front of him warily, clutching Tigress tightly. "Ohhh, it's the little guy!" he exclaimed.

"Wait, wait. You need to make him clothes? How are you going to do that?" Crane asked.

"How do you think? I'm going to sew them," Tigress snapped. Po and Crane stared at Tigress, blinking, and then glanced at each other. A few moments later, they both collapsed on the floor, laughing their heads off.

"Yeah Tigress, you're going to sew!"

"I can't believe she actually told a joke that was funny!"

Tigress glared at them. "Do you two mind? I'm trying to ask you two a favor!" They kept on laughing. "Guys!" More laughter. She rolled her eyes. "Po, if you stop laughing and do me this favor, I won't make you spar with me for a whole week," she offered.

Po immediately stopped laughing and stood up. "Whatever you say, I'll do it! I'm your man!" Crane calmed down off his laughing spree and stood up.

"Yeah, what do you need us to do while you're 'sewing'?" he snickered. Po joined him for a second, but once he saw Tigress' face, both immediately fell silent.

"Could you watch Jiang while I sew him some appropriate clothing, please? And it would be really nice if you could give him a bath," she asked. Jiang whimpered and turned wide, frightened eyes up toward her.

"Sure, we'll watch the little guy. I love kids, it'll be easy," Po said happily.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? He seems pretty attached," Crane said, looking at the cub. Tigress looked down at Jiang. He gripped her tighter and snuggled closer to her. She sighed and held him up so that he was looking her in the eye.

"Jiang, I have to go get your new clothes ready. You remember those pretty fabrics that you liked? I'm going to make them into shirts and pants so that you can wear them. But I need you to go with Po and Crane for a while. They're very nice, and they'll take care of you. Is that okay?" she asked. He shook his head and threw his arms around her neck, nuzzling her. She sighed. "Please, Jiang, I just need a little time. I'll be back in a little while, I promise."

He shook his head again. She detached him from around her neck and handed him to Po. "This will only be for a little while, sweetheart. I'll see you soon." She turned her attention to the two masters. "Remember, be gentle with him. He's very delicate. Don't yell, and don't be rough with him. He's a child, so be patient. Can you do that for me?" she pleaded.

"Yeah, don't sweat it. You have fun with your—" Po snickered again. "—sewing."

She scoffed and shook her head as she padded off towards the bunkhouse. Jiang cried and reached out for her, tears filling his eyes. "Hey, hey, don't cry! Tigress will be back, she said so," Po comforted, patting him on the head. Jiang sobbed and hid his face, curling up into a ball.

"Po!"

"What?"

"You're scaring him! Speak a little softer, like Tigress said!" Crane whispered.

"Oh, sorry," Po apologized, dropping his voice to a whisper as well. "Okay, little guy, let's get you into the bath!" Jiang shook his head and jumped out of Po's arms, running towards the obstacle course.

"No, no, no!" Crane yelled after him, swooping down and grabbing the back of Jiang's shirt in his feet and lifting him up into the air. Jiang squirmed and tried to get free, but Crane kept a tight grip. After a few minutes of struggle, Jiang sniffled and fell limp.

"Whoa, Crane, get him down from there! I think you're hurting him!" Po called up.

Crane flew down and gently dropped the cub into Po's waiting paws. Jiang was shaking and silently crying. "We're sorry, little guy. But we can't let you go in there. You could get really messed up. Trust me, if anyone here knows that, it's me. See? We got your back," Po whispered. Jiang linked his arms around his knees and hid his face behind them, rocking back and forth.

"Wow, he's really scared. Maybe we should take him to Tigress," Crane said worriedly.

"No, she told us to give him a bath. She'll maul us if we don't do it. How hard could it be, anyway?" Po asked, shrugging.

"Fine, but I'm carrying him! You're scaring the life out of him," Crane snapped, taking the cub into his wings. Jiang just kept on silently crying, not moving and not defying them. They walked to the bathhouse, keeping Jiang as warm as they could. Po watched Jiang while Crane heated the water.

"This'll be a lot of fun, I promise! I used to love taking a bath when I was your age. And I always had my bath time companion, too!" He pulled out a cloth duck and held it out to Jiang. Jiang looked up at Po.

Po smiled and nodded. "Come on. It's cool, he won't hurt you. He can't even breathe," he encouraged. Jiang cautiously poked the duck and pulled back quickly. When it didn't move, he grabbed it and hugged it tightly. "See? Isn't he great? I named him Dai," Po said, grinning. Jiang nuzzled the duck, purring softly.

Crane came over to them. "Okay, the water is nice and warm, and I even put in some bubble bath. All we need to do is get Jiang in there." Jiang froze and started to back away from them, clutching onto Dai.

"Come on, Jiang, it's only a bath. Remember, you get to play with Dai!" Po offered. Jiang shook his head and whimpered.

"It's not going to hurt or anything. You just need to get undressed and hop into the water," Crane said. Jiang scooted farther away from them and held Dai closer.

"Maybe he's afraid of water, or something. He is a cat," Po offered.

"Actually, tigers are the only cats who like water. That's a common misconception," Crane said.

"Whatever, smarty pants. Come on, little guy. Time for your bath!" Po exclaimed, picking up Jiang and carrying him to the water and bubbles. He sat Jiang down near the tub, and reached for the cub's shirt. Jiang screamed and ran behind the tub.

"Be gentle!" Crane scolded.

"I am being gentle! What do you want from me?" Po asked. They turned towards the tub when they heard a splash. Jiang had climbed into the tub with Dai, still fully clothed. Crane and Po glanced at each other.

"Maybe he doesn't want us to see him undress."

"Yeah, that might be it."

Po carefully approached the tub. "Jiang, if we turn around and promise not to look, will you get undressed so that your clothes don't get wet anymore? The bubbles will cover you up, so we won't see anything," he asked. Jiang sniffled, then nodded. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere!" Po exclaimed happily, turning around.

Crane followed suit. They heard the movement of water and wet clothes hitting the floors. Po peeked back at Jiang. All they could see was Jiang's head, but his shirt and pants were in a messy pile on floor next to the tub. "Alright! See, I told you it wasn't bad. You'll be clean in no time at all. Let's get some soap through that fur," Po said cheerfully.

But whenever they tried to get near him, he backed away from them. "Maybe it'll take a little longer than no time at all. What's wrong, Jiang? Don't you want to be nice and squeaky clean?" Crane asked.

Jiang dipped beneath the water up to his nose.

"This is getting a little annoying. I mean, can't you just cooperate with us for five seconds?" Po asked.

"Po, don't scare him! Tigress said he was delicate, we need to be gentle and nurturing," Crane contradicted.

"Well, thanks, MOM. But this is going to take forever if we don't get things going! Alright, Jiang, listen up. I know you don't like this, but the sooner you get clean, the sooner you can get out of there and into your new clothes. So let's do this," Po said determinedly. He picked up a bar of soap and took Jiang's arm.

Jiang pulled his arm away and swam away from them. "Jiang, come on!" Jiang shook his head.

"Po, don't, you're scaring him!" Crane scolded.

"I know, but this has to be done. Now Jiang, COME ON!"

"PLEASE DON'T HIT ME!"

Po and Crane both stared at Jiang in shock. He was shielding his face with his arms and tears were running down his cheeks.

"Don't hit me… please."


	7. Baby

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 7- Baby

Tigress smirked. Oh yes, this was satisfying. She had managed to cut, sew, and hem a pair of pants of black wool without faltering once, and in record time. Viper just watched, her mouth hanging open.

"Well? Who can't sew now?" Tigress mocked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I… I don't believe this. Why didn't you ever tell me?" Viper asked in disbelief.

"I've never sewn before, I just sort of did it. But at least I didn't make a fool of myself, or rupture any major veins or arteries," Tigress said proudly.

"You did it. You actually did it. You managed to do something somewhat feminine and didn't destroy anything," Viper breathed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tigress asked. A loud pounding made them both jump. Po threw open the doors, Crane close behind. "What are you two doing here? I thought you were going to give Jiang a bath." she said.

"We were. There was just a little problem, so we thought you should deal with it so that we don't mess it up," Crane said

"You didn't leave him alone in the bathhouse, did you?" she asked frantically.

"Would that be a bad idea?" Po asked. Tigress groaned and ran out of the room. She threw open the doors to the bathhouse.

"Jiang? Jiang, where are you?"

There was no answer. Her heart started beating rapidly. "Jiang! Come out right now!" she ordered. Though she had meant to be forceful, her command was fearful and nervous.

Jiang looked out from behind the washtub. His fur and clothes were soaking wet and covered in bubbles, and he was still holding onto Dai. The poor duck was close to having its seams popped. Tigress let go of a waiting breath.

"There you are. Come here," she beckoned, holding her arms out to him. He shook his head. "Don't worry, sweetheart, it's just me. It's okay." He disappeared behind the wooden tub again, his soft sobs still audible. Tigress turned back to Crane and Po.

"WHAT did you two do to him?" she demanded.

"_I_ didn't do anything. It was panda boy over here," Crane snapped, glaring at Po. Tigress turned fiery, angry eyes towards the Dragon Warrior.

"Since when is this all my fault?" Po asked.

"I warned you that you were being too harsh with him! But no, you didn't listen!" Crane yelled.

"It doesn't matter who's fault it is, **what happened**?" Tigress demanded.

"Well, we were trying to give him a bath, just like you told us. And he wouldn't let us help him wash, and Po got agitated and yelled at him, and then he screamed, 'Please don't hit me'," Crane explained.

Tigress looked back towards the washtub. Jiang had been watching them, but gasped and hid again when he was spotted. Tigress felt a spear go through her heart. She took a few steps towards the tub. "Jiang… will you come out from behind there? No one is going to hurt you, I promise."

"No."

She sighed and took a few more steps. "Please, I only want to help you."

"No!"

She came up to the tub and looked down at Jiang. He scrambled back away from her. She looked him over. His eyes were watery and partially bloodshot. He was shaking, and tears mingled with the bathwater that still clung to his ginger fur. Under his chin, leading all the way up to the still-growing ruff, was a thin white scar.

"Everyone out. Now." Po and Crane immediately took off, but Viper hesitated.

"Tigress, what's…" Tigress glared at her. Viper shrunk back. She hadn't seen Tigress look so angry. She started backing towards the door, knowing one concrete thing about life: _NEVER_ stand between a mother and her baby. Once she was close enough to the doorframe, she bolted out of there as quick as lightning.

Tigress padded back to the door and shut it as quietly as possible. Then she went back, but stood a few feet away from Jiang. "Sweetheart? Everyone else is gone. I'm not going to hit you. I would never hurt you." He shook his head. "I have some new pants for you. They'll be a lot more comfortable than those. Do you want to see them?" she offered. He shook his head again.

She approached him, stopping right in front of the cub. "Go away!" he yelled, a river of tears coming out of his fiery eyes. She sat down right in front of him and just watched him. _He's so fragile. I could probably break him with one paw. _

She took his shaking form into her lap. He put his hands up in front of his face, protecting it from any blows. Tigress gently lowered his arms and stroked his cheek. "Jiang… you poor baby. What did they do to you?"

He wiped his nose on his wrist and the tears out of his eyes. "Please don't hit me. I'll be good, I promise," he pleaded, his voice hoarse. She felt her eyes fill with tears. Even though she had suffered through a lot of pain and isolation at Bao Gu Orphanage, she couldn't even imagine what had happened to the little boy in front of her. She would never let Shifu or anyone else take him from her. She would never let him out of her sight again.

"I would never hit you. You are perfectly sweet and good," she soothed.

He turned away from her and hugged his knees to his chest. "I'll be good, I'll be good…"

She looked away from him, the tears finally escaping. _My gods... whoever did this to him should rot away in hell. _She looked back down at the cub. He stared back with wide eyes for a moment before standing up in her lap and wiping the crystal tears away from her eyes. "Don't cry… please?" She nodded and tried to smile.

"Do you want to take your bath? I won't make you, but I think it will make you feel a lot better," she suggested. He nodded.

She put him down and turned around so that he could undress in privacy, and then picked up a bar of her special soap. It was one of the few luxuries that she allowed herself, and it smelled like fresh cream and strawberries. When she went back over to the tub, he was already in the water, holding Dai and poking at what was left of the bubbles.

She smiled and showed him the soap. "Do you want me to help you, or can you wash by yourself?" He pointed to her. "Alright. May I have your arm, please?" Slowly, he let her gently grasp his arm and lather some of the soap onto it. He sneezed when the fragrance hit his sensitive nose. She laughed.

"Aren't you starting to feel better?" she asked softly. He didn't answer, he just stared down at the cloth duck in his paws. By the end of the bath, there was the smallest bit of a smile beginning to form on Jiang's face.

He snuggled deeply into the warm, fluffy towel that she offered to him, wrapping up in the softness. Tigress carried him back into her room. After he had changed, he lay down on Tigress' bed.

"I'll go tell Po to get you something to eat. You can stay in here, you don't have to see anyone if you—" She looked down at Jiang. He was fast asleep, curled up into a tiny ball. Tigress just watched him carefully.

_Looking at him now… you'd never know. He looks so peaceful, and sweet, like a normal child. _She gently stroked the top of the cub's head. _The poor baby. He's so young, and so gentle. How could anyone ever hurt him? _Her fingers hit a soft bruise on the back of his head. She recoiled and made sure he didn't awake. She didn't want to lose his fragile trust by hurting him.

His chest was exposed, since she hadn't finished a new shirt for him and didn't want him wearing his old shirt again. There was a long scar on his belly, and his arms and chest were tender with bruises and cuts. It nearly killed her to see him in this state.

She nuzzled him and kissed the top of his head. She whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, Jiang. I'll protect you. I won't let whoever abused you to get anywhere near you. You're my baby now."

And she fell into a deep sleep, holding her baby in her arms.


	8. Little Paws and Feet

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 8- Little Paws and Feet

Jiang blinked his eyes open the next morning. Something was wrong. He didn't recognize the room he was in. He wasn't in his house. He was in a bed, with soft covers and a plump mattress, which he also didn't recognize, but he was sure it wasn't his.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, testing them to make sure he was really awake. He looked over his person. Instead of his shirt, there was just his bare chest. He wasn't wearing his pair of pants. They were replaced with a new pair, made of soft black wool. He wasn't cold, and his eyes were dry.

But what he noticed the most was that he wasn't sore. His bruises weren't throbbing, and there weren't any new cuts.

"Good morning, Master!"

He looked around for the source of the voices. A tall figure stood in the doorway to the room he was in. It was a tiger, with a dark pink vest and black pants on. Its back was turned towards Jiang. He hid under the covers again, pulling them close around his body. He waited with his eyes shut tight, bracing himself for what might happen. But nothing happened. He didn't feeling anything. No large, heavy paws or sharp claws gripping him.

He peeked out from under the sheets. The tiger was still standing in the doorway, not facing him. He pushed the covers away and wriggled out of the bed and onto the floor. He tottered towards the tiger. His muscles were still a little tired from a long sleep, and he couldn't move as well.

This resulted in his tripping over his own feet. He grabbed the leg of the tiger for support. He froze when he saw seven pairs of eyes on him. His bottom lip quivered, and he hid behind the leg, hoping they would just go away and leave him alone. But instead of that, he was lifted up into the air. He looked up.

It was the tiger. He realized it was a female, a tigress. She definitely wasn't his mother, she couldn't be. But he recognized her. He watched her with careful eyes, not getting too trusting with her yet. She smiled at him and gently rubbed her nose to his. He wrapped his arms around her neck and rested his head on her shoulder. No, she definitely wasn't his mother. Right now what he wanted more than anything was his mother. But she wasn't there, she would never be there, so this tigress would have to do.

"Tigress." The cub looked to the voice. It was a little short man, with the largest ears that Jiang had ever seen, and a large fluffy tail. "You do realize that he can't come to the training hall with us?" the man asked.

"Of course I know that, Master. It's far too dangerous in there, he could get hurt," the tigress agreed.

"So what are you going to do?" She looked at Jiang. He put a paw on her nose. _Where are you going? Don't leave. _

She sighed. "Well… I haven't had a chance to finish his new clothes, and since he needs someone to watch him…"

"You're going to shirk your duties," the man finished.

The tigress frowned. "Master, he's a child. And you did say that he was my responsibility. So he is my duty." The little man's scowl deepened.

"Of course."

And without another word, he walked away. Each of the four others around; a snake, a bug, a monkey, and the big black and white creature and bird from the previous day's bath; glanced at the two tigers before heading after him. Jiang looked up at the tigress. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you breakfast."

His stomach gurgled loudly. He put a paw on his belly, hoping it would be quiet. He wanted his shirt back, he didn't feel comfortable with nothing covering his chest. It exposed the long white scar that he had, and it scared him, being this vulnerable. Even at home, he always had some sort of covering, no matter how ragged.

Tigress laughed. "It sounds like you need a big breakfast." He squirmed in her arms. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked. He pointed back into her room. "You want to go back to sleep?" No, but at least it would get him back to his shirt. She went back into her room and laid him down on the bed, tucking him gently underneath the unmade covers. "I'll be back in a little while to bring you to the breakfast table. Have a good sleep, baby."

She gave him a kiss on the forehead and nuzzled him, then left the room and shut the door softly behind her. As soon as he was sure she was gone, he slipped back onto the floor and started searching for his shirt. He overturned half the room before finding it on the trunk in the corner, neatly folded. With some difficulty he slipped it on.

Despite the fact that he was now covered, he felt a cold feeling descend upon him. Memories came back, and visions flashed in front of his eyes, sending him terror that he could only see. He felt moisture escape his eyes. The door slid open again. Jiang quickly wiped the tears away, not wanting to seem weak.

Tigress looked over her room with wide eyes. Her belongings were scattered all over the floor, and some of the furniture was overturned. She looked to Jiang. He cringed and sniffled, his bottom lip quivering. She walked to the bed and picked him up. He lifted his tiny paws up, shielding his face.

She sighed. "I'm not going to hit you, Jiang." He peeked out from in between his fingers. She nuzzled him and kissed his cheek. "No one here is going to hurt you. I'll protect you. You're safe and loved here," she whispered.

He sniffled. She smiled at him and tickled him underneath the chin. "Let's get you something to eat." She carried him out of the room and down the hall. He watched everything around him carefully, and constantly looked over his shoulder. Tigress carried him into the kitchen, where the rest of the Five, Po, and Master Shifu were all gathered around the table, talking and laughing. They all fell silent when they noticed the pair.

Jiang whimpered and hid his face in Tigress' vest. Tigress stroked the top of his head and sat down in her seat. She sat him down on the edge of the table, pulling him away from the confines of her clothing. He sat perfectly still, staring down at the floor. Crane broke the extremely awkward silence that weighed down the room. "So… did everyone sleep well?" They all nodded, mumbling to themselves.

"It looks so beautiful outside, with all the snow," Viper added.

"It had to have snowed at least three inches last night. If this keeps up, we'll all be snowed in," Monkey agreed.

Tigress wasn't paying much attention to this conversation. She picked up a spoon and dipped it into the porridge in front of her. She held it to Jiang's lips. He looked up at her. She nodded. Slowly, he accepted the food into his mouth. She continued the process from the beginning.

Everyone fell silent again, watching their friend feed the little cub. Tigress smiled when Jiang no longer waited for her encouraging nod to take a bite. This is how they passed the remainder of breakfast. Jiang ate his porridge, Tigress doled it out to him, and the others watched.

When he had his fill, she wiped his mouth with a cloth. Everyone else in the room was wide-eyed. Who was this mammal and what had she done with Tigress? They had never seen Tigress act in such a way before. She was being quiet, and gentle, and _motherly_. Master Shifu's eye was twitching. He was beginning to fear for his student. _She's changing, too much and too fast. I knew this was a bad idea. _

He took control of his twitch and cleared his throat. "I am correct to assume that you're feeling well again?" Tigress glanced at her master, then looked down at Jiang, who buried his face in the crook of her neck, purring loudly. She smiled at him and kissed the top of his head. To be honest, she had completely forgotten about her own problems since she had found Jiang.

"I… I'm still feeling a little ill."

Shifu just grunted in response. He pushed back his chair and hopped down to the floor. "Good. More rest will serve you well. I expect the rest of you in the training hall in no more than twenty minutes." Tigress felt a small pang of guilt seize her heart as he left. She didn't want to disappoint her master like she knew she was, but what could she do? Jiang needed her—and she wasn't going to abandon him.

"Do you need any help with Jiang, Tigress?" Viper asked.

Tigress smirked at her. "I think I can handle it. Besides, I need to focus on my sewing."

Viper rolled her eyes. "Funny, very funny."

"Since when do you sew? Were pigs flying yesterday and I missed it?" Mantis asked. Monkey, Crane, and Po all started snickering. Tigress scowled and stood up.

"Laugh all you want. I'll be in my room, preparing your words so that you can eat them." She walked out of the kitchen with her head held high, and Jiang in her arms. They stared at the door for a few moments.

"Is it just me, or is Tigress not acting like herself?" Monkey asked.

"She's definitely different," Crane said.

"Yeah, but I've never seen her like this before. It's a little scary. I mean, sewing? Tigress doesn't know how to sew!" Mantis exclaimed.

"Apparently, she does. Did you see those pants that Jiang was wearing? Tigress made those yesterday," Viper said. All the males exchanged a glance.

"Okay, this is really getting weird. Is she on some sort of drug?" Po asked.

Viper shook her head. "It's maternal instincts. I mean, think about it. Tigress has never been in love, and she's never really been interested in men. That basically eliminates any chance of her ever getting pregnant and having children. And now that Jiang is here, it's having an effect on her mind. Even though Jiang isn't her child, she's taking this as her only chance to have a child to look after and love. It's in her blood; deep down, every woman wants children at some point in her life. Tigress is just being the mother that she never can be."

There were a few moments of silence. "You… you never thought about having children, did you?" Crane asked. Viper stared at them with an unemotional face.

"You all are idiots."

* * *

Tigress sat cross-legged on her bed, threading the needle in and out of the fabric. It was a repetitive and dull task, but it was meditative and hypnotic as well. Overall, she decided that she liked sewing.

She took her eyes off her work for a moment to look at Jiang. He was fast asleep, curled up on her cloak. She smiled. _He really loves that cloak._ She held back a loud yell when she accidently stabbed herself with the needle. She stuck her thumb in her mouth, sucking on the wound and tasting a little bit of blood.

She kept her eyes on Jiang. A million possible scenarios had gone through her mind on what could have happened to the cub to make him so scared of everything around him. He had been abused, she had felt the scars and bruises herself. But he was such a sweet and innocent child, who could ever purposely hurt him with a clean conscious?

She tried to keep her mind on her sewing. Jiang had put his old shirt back on, but she didn't have faith that the old rags would hold for much longer. He needed a new shirt. Every few minutes, she would look up at her cub and smile fondly. Despite the fact that he was an anxious young thing, he smiled in his sleep.

Even though sewing was mind-numbing work, Tigress kept flashing back to the night before when she had discovered his condition. Jiang was covered in scars, some old and white in color, and some still pink. His bruises were so tender, and though she couldn't see his skin through the ginger fur, she was certain that it was black and blue.

It amazed her that he had lasted this long. The cub had a rather delicate frame, and he was very fragile. It had been freezing on the day she had found him, but it hadn't been much warmer on the preceding days.

But somehow this tiny child had bested the elements that were all against him and made it far up the steps towards the Jade Palace. But what had possessed him to come up towards the temple in the first place? If it were her, she would have tried to find somewhere warm so that she could rest her head and take a nap.

Tigress just sat contemplating all of this while guiding the needle and thread in and out of the fabric.

A/N: Yayyyyy, update! Sorry for the long wait, I'm having a touch of writer's block, or maybe I'm just distracted. I've been watching the Food Network a lot lately, don't ask me why. Well, enjoy, and don't forget to review! Holla!


	9. Rock a Bye Baby

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 9- Rock a Bye Baby

Tigress spent the next few hours just sewing and collecting her thoughts. By the time she stopped to take a break and rest her mind, she had finished three shirts and was almost done with a second pair of pants.

Jiang had opened his eyes a while ago, and was now calmly lying on his side and watching her work, keeping his eye on the sharp needle. She caught him staring at her and she put down her work. She picked up one of the newly made shirts and walked over to him, sitting next to the cloak. He got on his hands and knees and crawled into her lap.

She smiled and scratched the top of his head, eliciting a gentle purr from him. She laid the shirt out on her thigh. "Do you like this, Jiang?" He ran one of his small paws over it, and then nodded. "Good. Will you let me help you get dressed? I promise, you'll like it more than your old shirt," she coaxed. He wrapped his arms around himself and shook his head. She quietly sighed. "Jiang, please, I'm only trying to help. Is this because you don't want me to see your scars?"

He shook his head. "My shirt."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. There was a light tapping on the door. Tigress watched Jiang hide under the cloak and called, "Come in."

The door slid open and Monkey came in. "Lunch is ready," he reported.

She nodded. "I'll be there in a minute." She buried her hands into the cloak and extracted Jiang from the folds. "Are you ready to try on your new shirt?" He shook his head and wriggled in her grasp, trying to free himself. "You need a new shirt, Jiang. This will keep you nice and warm and safe, I promise." He only wiggled harder, whimpering. She sighed and put him down on the floor. He ran to the cloak and hid under it.

"Having a little trouble?" Monkey asked quietly.

"I've never tried to raise an abused child before. It's not like I've written a book on it," she whispered.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright. No one knows exactly what to do when they raise their first child. You'll get better as time goes on."

"Yeah, but most new mothers have the father there with them. I'm—I'm all by myself…" Tigress looked off into space.

"So what if you're not married? You've never needed a man in your life before," he noted.

She shrugged. "I guess you're right. Go ahead without me, I'll come get lunch when I get Jiang dressed."

He nodded and left. She stood up and picked her cloak up off the floor. Jiang was clinging to the end, and was lifted up along with it. She pried the cloak away from him and held him in her arms.

"Jiang… will you please at least try on your new shirt. I worked very hard on it. And I really think you'll like it much more than you old one. Please? For me?" Jiang looked down at the shirt that was now draped over her other arm. He then slowly nodded. She kissed his cheek lightly, "Thank you, sweetheart. I don't even have to watch you change if you don't want me to."

She placed him on her bed and handed him his shirt, then turned away from him. She heard the rustle of cloth and a few frustrated grunts. Something tugged on her pant leg. She looked down. Jiang had his new shirt on, but his arms were pinned to his sides in the confines of the fabric.

She giggled and kneeled down next to him. "Do you need some help?" He nodded meekly.

She sat down and gently worked the shirt off of him. "Here—this way it'll be easier." She bunched the shirt up and slipped it over his head, letting it loose down to the arm holes where she helped him stick his arms through, and finally pulled the shirt down the rest of the way. "Better?" He nodded, running his fingers over the new attire. She picked him up and kissed his cheek.

"Well you look very handsome." A rosy blush set on Jiang's cheeks and he smiled shyly.

He reached up and whispered in her ear, "I think you're real pretty."

Tigress smiled and kissed his nose. "Thank you. Come, sweetheart. You can be my lunch date." She stood up and carried him to the kitchen. The room was empty, and dirty dishes were stacked up next to the sink so they could be washed later. _I guess everyone already ate. _

A small note that had been stuck to a cabinet door confirmed this. _Tigress, everyone ate and went back to the training hall. I left plenty of food for you and the little guy. Love, Po. _

A large pot filled with rice and vegetables was sitting on the stove, still steaming and warm. In another pot was—you guessed it—Po's famous noodle soup. And a pitcher of ice cold milk, a rare treat at the Palace, sat on the countertop.

Tigress sat Jiang down on the table, and prepared their lunch. She set a small bowl of rice in front of Jiang, along with a little cup of milk. Jiang looked at the food, and then looked up at Tigress. "Sweetheart, you don't have to wait for me to tell you to eat. You can just go ahead," she said.

He pushed the bowl toward her. "You eat."

"No, sweetheart, that food is for you. You need to eat so that you can get your strength back. It must have been hard to get to those weeds all by yourself."

He pushed it farther toward her. "You need to eat too." Tigress watched the cub carefully. He just gazed back at her with wide, curious, and confused eyes. He wanted to know why she wasn't eating with him. Her stomach growled, and she put a paw over it to try and calm it.

She had to admit, she was hungry. Since her new regime of training had begun, there had been a lot less breaks and a lot more exercise. And less breaks meant less food in her system.

"Eat. Please?" Jiang asked. She sighed, peering down at her thin stomach before nodding and standing back up.

"You're right. I should be eating." After fixing herself a bowl of food and sitting back down, Jiang started eating. She smiled and ruffled the fur on the top of his head before picking up her chopsticks and tucking in.

The entire time they were eating, Tigress was watching him. And she was surprised to see that Jiang had excellent table manners. He wiped his mouth when the milk gave him a milk mustache, he didn't spill one grain of rice out of his bowl, and when it was empty, he pushed it away from himself and sat patiently with his paws folded in his lap.

Even after she was done, she didn't pick the cub up and carry him back to her room. She laid her head down on the table and sighed. "Jiang, I don't know what I'm going to do with you. I know that you were hurt by someone in the past, but I'm not that person, and I don't want to hurt you. Personally, I can't see how anyone would want to hurt you. You're so sweet and adorable. But sweetheart, I need you to trust me. I won't hurt you, ever. You… you're like a son to me. And I love you, Jiang. I swear that I love you," she whispered.

He shook his head and scooted back away from her. "No."

"Jiang, honey…"

"NO! YOU'RE NOT MY MAMA!"

He ran to the other side of the table, jumping onto a chair and then onto the floor.

"Jiang, wait!"

But he bolted out of there before she could catch him. She ran to the doorway and looked out into the hallway. It was empty. _I should have known better. Jiang isn't my son… he's just a kid that I found. I'm a royal idiot. But he could get hurt. I need to find him. _She ran out of the bunkhouse and into the snow, calling Jiang's name and silently praying that he would be okay.


	10. Sissy

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 10- Sissy

"JIANG! JIANG, SWEETHEART, WHERE ARE YOU?" Tigress whipped her head around, trying in vain to see through the snow to locate her tiger cub. "Jiang, please, it's dangerous out here, come out!"

She shivered. It was freezing cold, and she was starting to lose the feeling in her fingers. _Maybe if I had brought my cloak. Not only would I be warm, but it would attract Jiang like a moth to a lantern. _

She lost her footing on the ice underneath the snow. When she lifted her face out, the snow beneath it was red. She lifted her paw up to her nose. A shot of pain went through it when she touched it, and when she drew back her fingers were coated in blood. _Great, just great. But Jiang… I have to find him. He could freeze to death out here, or get hurt!_

She stood back up, being more careful not to slip and fall again. She stumbled through the lashes of wind and the wakes of snow. She could make out the outline of the Hall of Warriors, and headed toward it. _Please, please be in there, Jiang. Safe and sound in the warm hall, please be in there. _She flung open the doors.

"Jiang?"

There was no shivering, crying tiger cub waiting for her, peeking out from behind one of the massive pillars. The room wasn't completely empty, though. Her friends and Master Shifu were all sitting around a brazier. And they were all staring at her. "Tigress, what happened to you?" Viper asked, her voice echoing off the walls.

Tigress put a paw up to her nose again. She knew they were addressing the blood seeping out of the appendage, not her.

"Please... Jiang is gone. He ran outside, I don't know where he is, and I can't see a thing out there. We need to find him!" she begged.

"The little guy is out in the snow by himself? He'll freeze out there!" Po said worriedly.

"We should go look before he gets lost out in the storm," Mantis said. They immediately left the warmth of the hot coals and headed out into the stark, freezing storm to look for Jiang. Tigress was about to follow, but she turned back around.

Master Shifu was still sitting. "Master… aren't you coming?" she asked.

"The cub is your responsibility, and I trust that you'll be able to find him." Tigress stared at him.

"So you're not going to help us?" There was no answer. "Master… Master, please. Jiang is only a child, he needs help, he won't survive out there!"

"How can you take care of a child when you're still a child yourself?" he demanded.

"I am not a child, I am an adult!" she yelled back.

"No, Tigress, you think you are an adult!" Shifu yelled, standing up and walking towards her. "You think you're an adult because you are of age, but you are not! You don't know how the world works."

"Maybe that's because you kept me in isolation here since I was a child! I've only left the Valley a few times in my entire life, and I've only been down to the village a handful of times more! I know I found Jiang for a reason, Master, I know it! I lost my parents when I was a child, and I had nowhere to go until you found me! But then I was disappointed because I thought you loved me, I thought that you were proud of me, but you weren't! You never were! And now I have a child of my own, and I know exactly what not to do. I know never to act like you did to me! I have Jiang now, and I'm going to love him, and hold him close, and tuck him in every night and give him kisses and pats on the back. And I'll tell him how proud I am of him for coming so far from being abused!"

Shifu's mouth hung open.

"That's right, he was abused! That's why he's so scared! I don't know who, or where, or for how long, but someone was hitting him and not showing him any mercy! But I will and I'm not going to let anything happen to him, and that's why we need to find him so that he can be safe and grow up to be happy and healthy and lead a good life and find a nice girl and get married and have a family. So please, help me find him!"

She watched him. He didn't move, and didn't get up from his spot. She clenched her teeth and curled her fists up tightly.

"I… I hate you! I hate you so much!"

She burst out of the Hall of Warriors and into the snow. It was still blinding and the cold cut heavily against her. "Jiang! Jiang, please! Sweetheart, where are you? I love you, sweetie, please come back to me!" The only response was the wind.

"JIANG! JIANG, COME BACK TO ME! COME BACK RIGHT NOW!" She fell to her knees and sobbed. _What's the use? It's probably too late. He was so fragile… and it's so cold… he'll never make it. _But something boiled up inside of her, making her stand up again. She heard herself calling Jiang's name. She felt shoots of pain go up her legs with each step, and she realized that the bandages that Crane had wrapped around her feet had come loose and fallen off. But she ignored it and kept on going.

_Jiang… my baby… please be safe. It doesn't matter if I'm not your mother, you're my baby, and I love you. Please, sweetheart, be okay. Don't be trapped out in the cold with nowhere to go. _

"Tigress!"

She turned toward the direction that her name had come from. Suddenly, out of the walls of snow around her, Po appeared, shielding his eyes against the wind. "We found him! We found Jiang!" She felt tears drip out of her eyes. "You have to come! He won't come out and the storm isn't going to lighten up any time soon!" he yelled.

She nodded and followed him. They came to the bunkhouse, where Crane and Monkey were waiting. "Mantis and Viper went inside because…"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM, WHERE IS JIANG?" Tigress demanded. Both of them pointed underneath the porch.

Tigress knelt down next to the stairs. Jiang was huddled underneath them. "Jiang, thank goodness. Come here, darling," she beckoned, holding her arms out to him. He shook his head. "Jiang, please, it's too cold to be outside, you'll freeze. We need to go inside now." He shook his head again and went deeper under the structure. "Jiang, you need to come out of there, please sweetheart, I'm begging you," she cried.

"I want Mama!" he sobbed, wiping tears off of his cheeks.

"Jiang, I know you want your mother, but she's not here right now. Please, come out of there so that I can help you," she coaxed.

"No! I want Mama! Go away!"

Tigress sighed. "Alright, Jiang. I'll go away. Whenever you want to come out, I'll be inside." She stood up and walked up the stairs, opened and closed the door, but didn't go inside. She stood at the door, completely motionless and quiet. A few seconds later, she saw the tips of Jiang's ears near the bottom step.

She walked back down to the bottom of the stairs and kneeled in front of him. "Do you want to come inside now?" He nodded and held his arms out. She picked him up and went inside.

Before anyone could ask or say anything, she carried him off to her room and sat him down on the bed. She grabbed her cloak off the floor and wrapped it tightly around him. He snuggled into the fabric, sniffling and wiping his eyes.

She gently stroked his cheek. "Jiang, listen to me. I know I'm not your mother. I never will be. But sweetheart, I'm going to take care of you and love you. I don't want to take the place of your mother. She's your mother, and you'll always have her as your mother. And she's the luckiest woman on earth because she has you for a son. But for the time being, you have to trust me, sweetie. Can you do that? I promise that I'll keep you safe."

He sniffled and wiped his nose. "I miss her."

"I know, baby. I know. I miss my mama too."

"What happened to her?"

Tigress sighed. "I don't know. I don't know, baby." She felt more tears coming. _No, you can't cry in front of Jiang. He needs you to be strong. _But she felt the tears escape. Before she could wipe them away, a much smaller paw did it for you.

Jiang had his own tears coming out of his eyes. "I-I'm sorry about your m-mama."

Her face cracked into a wide grin. Why, she didn't know, but it did. "It's okay, sweetheart. Everything is going to be okay." She pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her neck and nuzzled her.

"I love you, sissy."

Tigress smiled. "I love you too, little brother."


	11. Spring Blossoms in Winter

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 11- Spring Blossoms in Winter

After that day, when the storm cleared and left a perfect soft blanket of snow on the ground, something changed within the confines of the Jade Palace. Jiang remained his normal, quiet self. However, he wasn't afraid of Tigress at all anymore. He would let her help him get dressed, take a bath, and didn't wait for her approval to eat. Though this didn't seem like much to the boys of the Palace, Viper explained to them that for someone in Jiang's condition, this was a great improvement.

Tigress and the little cub were nearly inseparable, spending almost every moment together. Monkey noted that they were "sort of recovering together". And they were. While Jiang became more and more trusting, Tigress slowly regained her normal attitude.

This was confirmed when Po told Tigress that she had gained a little weight. This had been meant as a complement, since she had nearly become skin and bones from her intense training. But Po still was generously given a slap across the cheek, after Jiang had been put down for a nap so that he wouldn't be frightened.

The Five all became big fans of the tiny cub, and would willingly dropped whatever they were doing to play with him when Tigress needed some alone time.

Master Shifu and Tigress, though, were not in the best spot at the moment. Tigress refused to look him in the eye, and wouldn't speak to him. Master Shifu avoided her, and wouldn't talk to her either. The others were worried about the both of them, but they refused to talk about what happened with anyone. Viper and Po seemed to be the only ones concerned about this, though.

Tigress was outside, wrapped up in her cloak and heavy winter clothes, watching Jiang play in the snow. She smiled as the little ball of fluff rolled around in the snow and giggled. She had made Jiang a nice, warm jacket out of green material, and he hadn't wanted to let it out of his sight since she gave it to him. He only let her take it when he got too hot while wearing it inside. But since there were no furnaces during this time, it got pretty cold in the bunkhouse, so she hardly ever had to coax the coat off of him.

Viper was inside, trying to keep warm by the brazier. Being cold-blooded wasn't exactly good in winter. The rest of her friends were in the training hall, going about their business as usual.

"Sissy!"

Tigress watched Jiang run up to her and hold out something in his tiny paws. It was a little pebble, about the size of his palm. "Look what I found, sissy! Underneath the snow!"

She smiled and took him into her lap. "That's wonderful, sweetheart. I'm surprised you can get through all that snow."

He held the pebble out to her. "It's for you, Sissy." He put the pebble in her paw and then ran off to go play again. She chuckled and looked at the pebble. As it turned out, underneath his initial shyness, Jiang was extremely curious and bright. He had collected a number of things from around the Jade Palace and presented them to her as gifts. They usually were random belongings of her friends, including Po's action figure of her, which Jiang refused to let Po have back.

"Sissy, come find me!" Hide and seek had become Jiang's favorite game, but sometimes he forgot to tell Tigress that he was playing and didn't run off again, sending her into a panic. Tigress looked across the blanket of white for her baby brother.

She smiled and shook her head when she saw his tail poking up out of the snow. She stood up and walked over to him, lifting him out of the snow. "I found you, Jiang."

He giggled and wrapped his arms around her neck, nuzzling her. She scratched the top of his head, making him purr. "We'd better go inside before you catch a cold."

"Aw, do we have to?" he asked, sticking out his lower lip.

"Yes," she insisted, "You'll need to change into dry clothes, and then you can have your afternoon snack if you want it." He rested his head on her shoulder as she carried him inside.

"Tigress? Is that you?" Viper called from the kitchen.

"Yes, Viper!" She put Jiang down on the ground. "Will you go wait for me in my room, sweetheart?" He nodded and ran off, slightly tripping over his own feet. She smiled and shook her head, entering the kitchen. Viper was still lying next to the brazier.

"I heard Jiang from outside. It sounds like you two are having fun," she observed.

Tigress grinned. "You should see him, Viper. I feel like I don't even know him, that's how different he's acting."

Viper smiled. "It's good. Now maybe he'll let the rest of us help care for him so that you can get some training in."

"What's wrong with me taking care of him?" Tigress asked, frowning.

"Nothing, it's just a lot of work to raise a child on your own—"

"Are you saying that I can't raise him by myself?" she demanded.

"No, no! I'm just saying, you've really improved from a few weeks ago, is all. You look a lot healthier, and better rested. But you haven't trained in a while, I just thought that you might miss it," Viper explained.

Tigress sat down in one of the chairs. "I haven't really been thinking about training lately. It's just not my top priority right now." Viper nodded, but was silent. That's how the two friends spent the next few minutes, just sitting in uncomfortable silence.

"Isn't Jiang waiting for you?" Viper finally asked.

"Yeah, he is. I'll talk to you later, Viper." She padded out into the hall, feeling a little bad for the strain that had come up in her friendship with Viper. She had been busy since Jiang came into her life, and hadn't had much time for her friends, or even for herself. _I'll make time for it soon, I swear. But Jiang needs me right now. _

She walked into her room and immediately noticed something was off. Jiang wasn't anywhere that she could see. "Jiang, where are you? Sweetheart, this isn't a good time to play hide and seek." There was no answer. Her heart sped up. Remember those panic attacks I mentioned before? Well—just brace yourself.

"Jiang? Jiang, come out! Where are you?" she called fearfully, leaving her room and out into the hallway. She ran to the entrance and threw the door open, letting in the cold. "Jiang? Are you out here?" she yelled.

"You lost him again?" She looked to the voices. Crane and Mantis were coming towards her. "That kid just never stays still, does he?" Mantis asked.

"This isn't funny! What if something's happened?" Tigress yelled.

"How long has he been missing?" Crane asked.

"I don't know, a couple of minutes, I guess."

"So what are you worried about? He's probably somewhere inside, let's go look," Mantis suggested, entering the warmth of the bunkhouse.

"I already called his name and he didn't answer!" she explained.

"He's probably just playing again, relax," Crane soothed. He opened the door to his room. "Tigress? I found him."

She rushed to his side. Jiang was sitting in the middle of the room, playing with Crane's watercolors. Splotches of paint were on his face and arms, but he had removed his jacket and neatly placed it away from where it would be in danger. He didn't even look up at them, he just kept on smearing paint on the paper.

"Um… can you get him to stop?" Crane pleaded.

She nodded and walked over to Jiang, picking him up and taking him by surprise. "No! Down!"

"Jiang, you really should have asked if it was okay before you played with these. They don't belong to you," Tigress chided softly.

Jiang turned his big, bright eyes to Crane. "Sorry."

Crane smiled. He couldn't resist Jiang's cuteness power. "That's okay. You didn't mean it."

Jiang looked back up at Tigress. "Down!" She put him down on the floor, and he grabbed his picture and ran out the door.

Mantis laughed. "He's just a rocket of fur."

Tigress followed after Jiang and went to her room, praying that he was there and not running around outside. To her relief, he was sitting in the middle of the floor, staring at the paper he had painted on. She kneeled down next to him and looked at the paper.

"What did you paint, sweetheart?"

Jiang pointed to a small striped person. "That's me." Tigress was a little surprised. For someone who was so young, the likeness between the picture and the real thing was startlingly realistic. But it had some long red marks on it, which she assumed were his scars, and it was crying.

He pointed to a brown blob. "And that's the bad stuff."

"Bad stuff?" He nodded.

"It makes people scary." Tigress looked at the thing next to the "bad stuff". It was obviously another tiger, but he was much taller than Jiang. And he looked angry, with his teeth bared.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"That's Daddy."

A/N: Sorry for not updating for a while. But here's the latest chapter, so enjoy! Holla!


	12. A Small Relapse

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 12- A Small Relapse

Tigress gazed at Jiang. Even though he had revealed to her this important and dangerous secret, he didn't act like it mattered. He just kept rubbing some paint that lingered on his fingers onto the drawing. She lifted him up away from his work, even though he cried out in protest.

"Sweetheart—what do you mean by the bad stuff?" She decided to start with the lighter topic, so that she wouldn't overwhelm him.

"Daddy would drink it and he would be angry," Jiang whispered.

Tigress understood. The man had gotten drunk and beaten his son. She felt her teeth grind against one another, up to the point where it actually hurt. She tried to calm herself, with little avail. "Jiang… can you tell me what happened with your daddy? What about your mama, is she okay?"

Jiang didn't answer, he just struggled down towards his drawing.

"Jiang." She used more authority in her voice, and the cub looked up at her. He was beginning to shake. She sighed and sat down cross-legged on the floor, sitting Jiang right next to her. "No, Jiang, please don't be upset. I'm just trying to find out what happened. So that I can take care of you and show you that you don't have to be scared anymore. Please? I won't be angry, or upset, I promise. But please tell me, Jiang. I want to help you and make sure that you're happy."

He wiped his nose on the wrist. "Mama went away."

"Went away?" she asked. He nodded. "Where did she go?"

He shrugged, and wrapped his arms around his knees. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She stood up. "Wait here, sweetheart. I'll be right back, I promise."

She exited the room and went over to Crane's. He was trying to clean up his watercolors, and looked very distressed. "Crane." He looked up at her. "I know this is a lot to ask right now, but can I borrow your paints?"

He sighed. "Take them. Keep them. That little fluffy ball of terror basically rendered the set unusable."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, taking the paint tray up off the floor.

"It's alright," he insisted, "I'll get a new one in the village." She thanked him again before returning to her room, armed with the paints and a few sheets of clean paper. She recalled reading somewhere that sometimes making pictures was an easier way for a child to communicate instead of words. It seemed like a veritable idea, so she decided to test it out.

Jiang was waiting patiently on the floor. His eyes were beginning to fill with tears. She sat down and smiled at him, wiping the newborn tears away. She set the paints and paper in front of him. "Sweetheart, do you think you could paint me another picture? I really like the one you did before."

He didn't hesitate before dipping his fingers into the paint and beginning to smear. He painted a flower. A bird. A snowflake. And even one of Tigress. Each Tigress was very impressed by. They were all startlingly well done, and she wouldn't have believed a three year old did it if she hadn't seen it with her own two eyes. But none of the paintings revealed the information she wanted.

Before he could begin marking on the last sheet of paper, she stopped him. "Why don't you paint me a picture of your mama, Sweetie?" she asked.

He looked up at her for a few moments before beginning his work. She waited patiently for him to finish, and inspected his other drawings. The flower looked a lot like a cherry blossom, and it was beautiful. Some of the places where Jiang had more paint on his fingers at the time he was coloring looked darker than the rest of the petals. But instead of the paint just being extremely thick and heavy in those areas, it looked shaded. She knew talent when she saw it, and Jiang obviously had a gift. It wasn't the gift she had been expecting, but it was a gift nonetheless.

He tugged on her pant leg, getting some paint on it in the process. Tigress took the picture from his paws and looked at it. There was another tigress, which she had to assume was his mother, but she looked peculiar. She was horizontal, and she looked scared, and was crying. But underneath her were four large brown objects that had legs and eyes, so she pieced together that the objects were actually living beings.

"Jiang, who are these… creatures?" she asked reluctantly.

She was pushing it, she knew it, but she also knew that this would help Jiang in the long run.

More tears filled his eyes. "Those are the evil people." Tigress looked from the cub to the drawing.

"They came and took Mama away," he whispered.

Tigress studied the drawing carefully. Slowly, it came to Tigress. _Bandits. His mother was kidnapped by bandits. _

She put the drawing down and scooped Jiang up into her arms without a second thought. They both started crying together. Jiang sobbed loudly, but Tigress just let tears roll down her cheeks as she held him close. _Jiang. Jiang. My poor baby._ She mustered as much strength as possible and gently patted the cub's back.

"It's okay, sweetheart, it's okay. Everything is going to be alright now, you'll see. I'm going to take care of you sweetheart. You're never going to be hurt by your daddy or the bad stuff again. I promise. You're safe now, everything is going to be alright."

But he kept on sobbing, bringing Crane into the room. He was startled to see the streams of tears running down Tigress' cheeks. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her cry. Jiang gripped tightly onto Tigress' shirt, wetting the fabric with his tears. Tigress gently patting him on the back and hugging him tightly didn't appease his sorrow at all. 

_Mama. Mama. Where are you? Why aren't you here? I miss you, Mama. Come back to me. I miss you, Mama. I miss you. _

He felt his tears being wiped away, and he looked up through misty eyes. Tigress was smiling down at him, tears in her own eyes. He sniffled and wiped his paw around the rims of her eyes. "D-don't c-cry, sissy. No crying."

Tigress nodded, "You're right. No more crying."

He slid off her lap and curled up on the bed. "Naptime, Sissy. I'm sleepy." He rubbed his eyes and yawned, then rested his head down and pretended to sleep. Both tigers knew that he was faking, but that fact didn't seem to bother them much. She pulled the covers over him and kissed his forehead.

"Have a good rest, sweetheart. I'll be right here when you wake up." She stood up and pretty much pushed Crane out of the room, softly shutting the door behind her.

"You're crying, Tigress. I haven't seen you cry since we were kids," he said, completely flabbergasted.

"I know. But… I just found out that Jiang's mother was kidnapped. Probably when he was very little." Crane fell silent, directing his eyes in another direction. "And his father was a drunk. That's why Jiang was so beaten up and scared when we found him. His father beat him."

Crane's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets and roll across the floor. But he managed to sum up what he was thinking in two simple words. "Poor kid."

She nodded and looked down at the floor. Crane inspected her for a moment. "What do you think we should do?"

She looked up at him, then shifted her gaze to the door separating them from the cub. "We need to find them. See if his mother is still alive, and find his father so he can receive proper punishment."

"How do we do that?" he asked.

"I don't know. But it's something that has to be done. It wouldn't be right to let them get away for neglecting their child." She was talking more about the father than the mother, but she was angry at both. _Their child was out freezing in the cold, hungry and alone. I don't care if they're gods, they will both pay their dues. _

"So how do we even begin to look for these people? It's not as if there's a giant book with the address of every person in China," he noted.

"I know it will be difficult! But it's the right thing to do, and I'm going to make sure it's done. I don't care if it kills me—Jiang won't be getting the short end of the stick this time." She turned her back to him and went back into her room, effectively ending the conversation.

Jiang was still under the covers, only he was actually sleeping now. She quietly padded across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Jiang kept right on sleeping, not even taking notice of her presence. She smiled and gently stroked the top of his head, making him purr in his sleep.

She had meant everything she had said to Crane, and now she was determined to find Jiang's parents. But deep down, she wasn't sure that she wanted to find them. 

_I can't let my baby go. Not yet. It's too soon. Much too soon.  
_


	13. Detachment

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 13- Detachment

A few weeks passed. No one had gone to find Jiang's parents yet, for two reasons. One, Jiang was still clinging to Tigress like a sock to static electricity, and Two, Master Shifu and Tigress were still fighting, so leaving the Jade Palace in her place would warrant punishment beyond belief.

So Tigress decided that it would have to be her who would go, and she would have to get Jiang to trust the others at the Jade Palace.

He was actually warming up quite a bit to Viper. He would giggle like crazy if she tickled his tummy with her tail. He seemed a little less wary of Crane, Monkey, and Mantis, but refused to go anywhere near Po. He was still scared of the panda from the bath time incident.

Tigress sat in her room, meditating. It was the first time she had been alone with her own thoughts for quite a while. The others were playing hide-and-seek with Jiang.

"I GOT'CHA!"

She jumped and her eyes snapped open, glaring at the doors. Mantis had thrown them open. "Oh, sorry. I just thought Jiang might be in here. That kid is the best hider that I've ever seen," he explained. She sighed and squared her shoulders, trying to find her happy place again.

"It's alright. But he's not in here, I assure you."

"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen you this calm. I think having Jiang around has really had a positive effect on you."

She smiled and shrugged. "I'm just trying to help him. He's a good boy, and deserves a shot at a decent life. And here he'll have one. Away from his good-for-nothing son of a bitch father."

"You really are determined to find his parents and bring them to justice aren't you?" he asked.

"I just want what's best for him, and if his father is out there he's still at risk of getting hurt. He's my responsibility, and I'm not going to let anything happen to him," she explained.

"But where are you going to look? There's a lot of places they could be—like all of China. Chances of you actually tracking him down are pretty low."

"Do you want me to fail, or what?" she snapped.

"No, no, I'm just saying…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Zeng crashed into the room. "P-please excuse the interruption. But there's something you need to see, Master Tigress," he stuttered, handing her a scroll. She took it from him and opened it. "Normally I would have given it to Master Shifu, but I can't seem to find him," Zeng quickly added.

Tigress' eyes widened when she read the message. "What's up?" Mantis asked, hopping onto her shoulder so he could read the scroll.

"There's a large group of boar thieves just outside the Valley, threatening a village. We need to get down there as quickly as possible," she reported, snapping the scroll shut.

"Should I assemble the rest of the Furious Five, Master Tigress?" Zeng asked.

"Yes. We'll have to leave no later than noon tomorrow." The goose flew out of the room as fast as he could. Tigress stood up and started out of the bunkhouse. Mantis followed after her.

"But what about Jiang?" he asked.

Tigress stopped and fell silent. "Does that mean you're staying?"

She thought about it for a moment. "No. I have to go, the village is in dire need of assistance. But you're right, someone will have to stay with Jiang."

"Probably not the best idea to leave him with Po. Since he's, you know, scared to death of him and all," Mantis said.

She nodded. _I can't just leave him here. And it's not like Master Shifu will take care of him. He's still attached to me, how can I leave without him making a big fuss? _A soft giggle filled the air, and Tigress saw two tiny ears poking up out of a vase.

"Hold on, I wanna get him. If I do, that means I win!" Mantis whispered, heading towards the giggles. Tigress sighed and shook her head. Mantis crept behind the vase and gently tipped it over. Jiang spilled out of it. "Ha! I got you, you little fuzzball!" Mantis cheered, tickling the tiger.

Jiang giggled happily, but as soon as he saw Tigress he ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her leg, purring softly. Tigress couldn't help but smile and pick him up.

"Hey Tigress!"

Crane, Viper, and Monkey came down the hallway. "Hey, guys! I found him first!" Mantis said, pointing at Jiang.

Viper ignored him and got straight to the point. "Tigress, what's going on? Zeng told us that we had to come find you as fast as possible." Tigress sighed.

"There's a group of bandits threatening a village outside the Valley, and they asked for our help."

"So what's the problem? It's not like we haven't dealt with bandits before," Crane pointed out.

"What do you think is the problem?" she asked, glancing down at Jiang.

Jiang was completely oblivious to the fact that the conversation was all about him. He was busying himself by pulling on Tigress' whiskers and cheek fur, and a huge grin spread across his features when he noticed she was looking at him. Tigress smiled and tickled his stomach, making him giggle and nuzzle her shoulder.

"So… who's going to stay and watch him?" Monkey asked.

"I will, of course." They all jumped when Master Shifu came down the hall and joined the assembly. Jiang whimpered and hid in Tigress' shirt, something he hadn't done in quite a while. Tigress glared at her master and gently patted Jiang's back, trying to soothe him.

"Well, Master… with all due respect… he doesn't really seem to like you," Crane noted.

"I've raised children in the past; this will be no different."

"No, this is different! Very different! You can't just give him food and water and then leave him alone for hours! You have to watch him and play with him and be gentle about it! He needs love and affection and attention. And he's very fragile, so you can't yell at him!" Tigress yelled.

Shifu flattened his ears against his head. "If you doubt my abilities, then put Jiang down for a few moments, and we'll see how he reacts." Tigress was a little surprised. That was the first time that she had ever heard Shifu say the cub's name. She thought that he hadn't bothered to remember it.

She sighed and looked at Jiang, who smiled at her. Slowly she lowered him to the ground and sat him down. Shifu approached him slowly, and Jiang watched him carefully, scooting away from the red panda and shaking a bit. But Master Shifu smiled and gently patted the cub's head. Jiang stopped shaking and in a matter of minutes, he was purring and smiling at Shifu.

Shifu smirked up at Tigress, who frowned. _Can you really trust _him_ with Jiang? Jiang is still very fragile, and very impressionable… you don't want him to turn out like you did. A cynic. _

_But this is an emergency… what choice do you have? _

She knelt down next to Jiang. "Sweetheart?" Jiang held his arms out to her and she picked him up. "Sweetheart, listen to me. I need to go away for a while, but I'm going to leave you with Master Shifu. He'll take care of you and make sure you have everything you need, alright?"

"Where are you going?" Jiang asked.

"I'm just going on a little errand. I'll be back in a few days, I promise." Chasing after a group of bandits wasn't exactly an "errand", but Tigress was at a lack for a better word.

"Can I go?"

She shook her head. "No, Jiang, you have to stay here. It's too dangerous for you to go with us."

"Why?" Tigress paused. "Because you're my baby brother and I have to do everything I can to make sure you're safe. You wouldn't like this errand, it's very boring. You'll have a lot more fun here with your toys and your paints. And when I get back you can tell me about everything you did while I was gone."

Jiang snuggled closer to her, resting his head on her shoulder. "Don't leave, Sissy. I'll miss you."

Mantis sniffled and wiped his eyes. "You have to admit, the kid makes a strong argument."

Tigress looked into Jiang's eyes. They were glowing and bright, just like hers. But they were different. His eyes sparkled with a youthful joy that had long ago left her eyes. She had been forced to grow up before her time, to be independent when she should have been able to lean upon others. And she wasn't about to let the sparkle leave his eyes, either.

She tenderly stroked his cheek. "I know. I'll miss you too. But we'll see each other again soon, and everything will be as it was."

A large, wet tear formed on Jiang's eyelid, and she wiped it away. He reached up to her ear and whispered, "Don't leave me, Sissy. You'll never come back. Like Mama never came back."

Tigress hugged him close. "I'll come back, Jiang. I promise I will. I'll always come back to you, little brother." Her voice was cracking, and she was starting to cry, too. Somehow Jiang had found a way to loosen Tigress' heartstrings. He was the only one who could make her cry.

Jiang wiped his nose on his wrist. "Promise?"

She nodded and cracked a smile. "I will, Sweetheart. I will."

"I'll miss you, Sissy."

"I know," she whispered, "I'll miss you too. But Shifu will take care of you. So be good, alright? Don't give him too much trouble." Jiang nodded before nuzzling her and slipping off into slumber. Tigress sighed and turned away from the group, heading to her room to tuck Jiang in for his nap. 

_He did raise you, even if he did a crappy job of it. And with the right amount of love, you'd be able to get Jiang back to normal. If he can become a happy, smiling child after being abused for who knows how long, he can survive through a few days with your master. _

Her ears twitched, and she heard the floorboards in the hallway behind her creaking. She ignored it for a few moments to give Jiang a kiss to the forehead and a small nuzzle before leaving him to rest. She closed the doors to her room, and before he could escape, she grabbed Master Shifu by the collar and slammed him up against the opposite wall.

"Listen to me, and listen well, old man. I'm only going to say this once. It's one thing when you bring an orphan who has no one in the world and then shatter her, but Jiang is different. He's my little brother and I love him. And if you do anything, and I mean _anything_, to hurt him or make him cry or even make him sad, then I will personally rip every single arm and leg from your body, then cut off your head and mount it on a plaque to hang in the Hall of Warriors, am I understood?"

Shifu didn't struggle but narrowed his eyes at her. He could see the pure rage burning in the fiery irises, but there was something else. There was pure and unadulterated fear behind all the confidence and gall she was showing. She didn't want anything to happen to that child, and would most likely put her life on the line to make sure that happened.

He nodded. "Of course, my daughter."

Tigress grit her teeth and slightly tightened her grip on him, but she released him. "See that you do. And I have no father." She went back through the doors to her room and snapped them shut.

Shifu frowned, but held back on his temper. There was a reason that he would allow the Furious Five to assist this village against these particular bandits. Zeng had given him information that Tigress did have; information that aided him in his decisions. There was something about this group of bandits.

He had found out that the leader of these bandits had a very strange wife for a boar. Apparently he had taken her from a village not too far from the entrance to the Thread of Hope.

Her name was Lin, and he knew that Tigress would be extremely interested in meeting her…

A/N: Okay, this was seriously the best night of my life. First, the Steelers, my team, won the Superbowl! Woot! And then I finish this chapter! I'm sorry for the long wait for the update, I'll try real hard to be more prompt with my updates. Remember to review, and I'll see you all next chapter! Hopefully that won't be weeks from now. And go Steelers! Yeah! (Sorry if any of my readers are Cardinals fans, I have to be loyal to my hometeam. Steelers forever! Holla!


	14. Evil Pork

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 14- Evil Pork

The moon quietly started to rise into the sky. It was full, which might give her away if she wasn't careful. Perched silently in a tree, a pair of fiery eyes looked down on the groups of tents and fires burning.

There were boars sitting around, laughing harshly at vulgar jokes in between scuffles and impromptu arm wrestling matches. At first glance they may not have seemed that dangerous, but the piles of money and weapons they had surrounded by a tight circle of guards gave away their devious ways. It made Tigress want to throw up. It also made her want to rip each one of their heads off one by one and hear their screams of agony coming from their disembodied heads.

She could clearly see the tent where the leader probably was. It was nestled near the back of the camp, near the tree line. Clearly it the most lavish, made of red cloth that was illuminated by the light coming from inside.

Her eyes moved to a more quiet part of the camp, where a lone woman scrubbed clothes in a huge black kettle. The woman was dressed very poorly, in a simple homespun dress that was dirty and slightly wrinkled. She was frowning and her eyes looked lost and sad. The sight made Tigress feel sad, too.

But she shook her head. _Focus. You're on a mission. _She soundlessly leapt from tree to tree, over to the red tent. Now a figure was visible moving inside the tent. Whoever it was was very large. She dropped down from the trees and snuck up to some nearby bushes that were close enough so she could hear, but giving her enough cover so she wouldn't be found.

"LIN!"

Tigress jumped. She didn't need to be close to hear that. She peeked around the side of the tent and saw the woman from before coming towards the tent and through the doorway. As quickly as possible, Tigress hit the ground and lifted up the bottom of the tent carefully, so that she wouldn't be detected. She was right about the leader being large. He was fat, sweaty, and completely gross.

The woman looked so out of place standing in front of him. "You called?" she asked in a timid voice.

"Is my laundry done yet?" the boar asked.

"Almost. I just have a few more—" He cut her off.

"Lin, do you realize what I have done for you? I took you in, out of the pure kindness of my heart, and made you my bride. Is it so much to ask for you to have the few tasks I ask of you DONE ON TIME?"

She flinched. "I-I'm sorry! I'm just very tired…"

"AND YOU THINK THAT'S AN EXCUSE? NOW GET TO WORK!" She nodded and started out of the tent, but before she could completely leave, the pig reached out and slapped her butt. She cried out in surprise, and he roared with laughter. "Still scared like a little kitten! You amuse me to no end, Lin."

She just left the tent as quickly as she could. Tigress stood up and went back to hiding in between the trees. _The son of a bitch. _But instead of going towards where the woman was doing the wash, she disappeared into the forest.

It was dark and hard to see, but after a few minutes' walk Tigress was guided by the light of a small fire. She came upon her friends sitting around a campfire. "Hey, Tigress! How close do you think we are?" Mantis asked.

"Very close. But we need to hurry. There's so much more to this than just defeating a gang of bandits," she replied.

"What do you mean?" Crane asked.

Tigress sighed and closed her eyes. "Jiang's mother is here."

They all stared at her with wide eyes. "Wha… What? Are you sure?" Viper asked.

She nodded. "I could tell by the color of her eyes and her markings. She and Jiang look a lot alike."

"So what are we going to do?" Crane asked.

"We can't just leave her here. She might be worried about Jiang, and since we have him, it's our duty to reunite them," Monkey said.

"How can you be so sure? She might not remember him at all or ever want to see him again," Tigress snapped.

The rest of the Five exchanged glances. "Well, if she doesn't want to see him, then we can send her on her merry way. But at least she deserves to know that her son is alright and to have her freedom. Something tells me that she's not here because she wants to be," Mantis hypothesized.

"She's not. In the picture Jiang painted, she was kidnapped by the bandits. And the leader apparently married her and is working her to death. I just saw her—she looks like she hasn't gotten a good night's sleep in a long time," she reported.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's bust her out of this joint!" Po cheered, heading towards the campsite.

"Hold on," Tigress warned, pulling him back, "This has to be handled with finesse, not raw power. So here's what we're going to do. Viper and I will go and find her and get her out of harm's way. We'll signal you, and you'll spring the attack."

"So… no skadoosh?" Po asked with a little whimper.

Tigress cracked a smile and shook her head. "No skadoosh. Let's go." Viper nodded and followed her through the trees and to some bushes where they could see Lin washing a pair of disgusting-looking pants.

"That poor woman. You couldn't pay me to look at those," Viper whispered. Tigress shushed her and crept closer to the wash pot. She was taken by surprise when her forehead was partially covered by one of the wet legs of the pants, which had been draped over the bush to dry. 

_Okay… I'm going to do this before I get slapped with his gross wet underwear. _

She wet her lips and took a deep breath, then shook the bush that she was hiding behind. She saw Lin freeze. "W-who's there?" she called shakily.

Tigress quickly stood up and put a paw over her mouth. "Don't scream unless you want to get caught. We're here to help you."

"We?" Lin whispered, removing her paw.

Viper came through the bushes. "Hello there."

"Do you know who we are?" Tigress asked.

Lin's eyes flickered between the two warriors. "Master Viper and Master Tigress of the Furious Five. Everyone knows who you are."

"Then you're able to trust us?"

She nodded. "I suppose so. Unless you have reason to harm me…"

"We might, if you decide not to cooperate. We're going to take you away from here and to the Valley of Peace," Tigress explained. Lin shook her head.

"Oh, no, I can't leave here. My husband…"

"We know he isn't your real husband. You were stolen from your husband and child, weren't you?"

She looked Tigress over. "How do you know that? Has Hao been in contact with you? Has he been looking for me?" she asked hopefully. Tigress dug into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it. It was the picture Jiang had drawn for her of his mother.

"Your son made this for me."

Lin looked up at Tigress. Tears were forming on her eyelids. She took the drawing from her paw. "J-Jiang? You know where my baby is? Hao must be with him—my gods, my little baby is okay!" Viper and Tigress exchanged glances, both of them thinking the same thing. 

_Hao must be the abusive sonofabitch father. _

"Please—" Lin begged, wiping the tears from her eyes, "I have to see my baby. I haven't seen him since he was just shy of two years. He's probably grown a foot taller since I've last laid eyes on him. He probably thinks I've abandoned him. I need to see him!"

Viper sniffled a little, and Tigress stepped toward Lin, taking her paws and smiling a watery smile. "He doesn't think you've abandoned him. He misses you though. Whenever he's sad he always cries for his Mama. I just want to be able to make him happy again."

Lin nodded. "I will go with you. But we'll have to be quiet about it, my 'husband' posts lookouts everywhere along the camp so he can't be snuck up on." Viper and Tigress looked at each other.

"Lookouts?"

A loud yell came from inside the camp. Both Masters immediately recognized it as Po. "Get her out of here, I'll go help the boys!" Tigress ordered, jumping out of the bushes. Viper nodded and led Lin towards the forest.

Two boars came for her with swords, but they both swung at once and she easily jumped over the blades and knocked them both out. She saw Monkey and Crane fighting a large group of the bandits, and she headed that way, taking out several more boars along the way.

"Did you find her?" Crane asked, using a spin kick to stop one hog from jumping on Monkey's back.

"Viper is taking her back towards the Valley! How did you get caught?"

"How do you think?" Monkey asked, pointing to Po before using the hand to punch a bandit in the face. Tigress grit her teeth, but instead used the anger out on the bandits. _I'll take care of him later._

"What about Mantis?" she asked.

"He's back in the forest, waiting for you two! You were taking a really long time for that signal!" Crane replied.

"Well we can't just hog-tie her! I'm so sorry I failed my rodeo class!" she snapped.

"LIN!" Something grabbed her by that back of her shirt and pulled her away from battle. Before she could utter a word of protest, she was swiftly slapped across the cheek. "How dare you fight against my forces!" the leader bellowed.

"Hey, let go of her!" Po yelled, kicking a boar out of his way. The leader snickered. "Well, if it isn't the illustrious Dragon Warrior. If I had known you were coming, I would have had my wife prepare some tea," he sneered, tightening his grip on Tigress' arm.

She kicked him in the place where a male does _not_ want to be kicked, and he fell to his knees. "I AM NOT YOUR WIFE YOU SELFISH, NAUSEATING, CRUEL IDIOT! I am MASTER Tigress of the Furious Five, and don't you ever, _ever_ lay your hands on me again as if I was your property."

She picked him up by the front of his shirt, a little hindered by his immense weight. "It's because of you that my little brother lost his mother and was left to his abusive father. And I'll kill you myself if I have to," she hissed.

He laughed. "You don't have the guts, little girl."

Tigress narrowed her eyes and unsheathed her claws. She never used her claws in battle before, but something inside of her ticked when she was faced with the man who had ruined Jiang's life. _If it hadn't been for this beast, then Jiang's mother would never have been kidnapped and his father might not have gotten drunk, and Jiang would be safe and sound._ She swiftly dug her claws into the boar's thick throat.

He rasped and clawed at the air, but it was a fruitless effort. His struggle only made her dig in farther and more blood seep out. "Tigress!" Po yelled, trying to pull her away. She pushed him to the ground.

"NO! This has to be done."

"Tigress, don't do it! You're not a murderer," Crane persuaded.

Once Tigress had gotten hold of their leader, the battle had completely frozen, the rest of the bandits silently watching. "M-mercy," the leader sputtered out.

"No. Not for you," she whispered, tightening her grip further.

"Tigress, don't. What if Jiang was standing here, watching you? What would he think?" Crane asked. Tigress loosened a little and looked to the ground. "You're better than this, Tigress, you don't have to kill him. You'll just be stooping to his level, or worse, beneath his level."

Tigress glanced at the bird. He had a comforting smile on his face. "Let him go, Tigress. Something tells me he's learned his lesson." She looked up at the boar, whose eyes were beginning to roll into the back of his head. She took her claws out of his flesh, and he dropped to the ground.

"If I ever catch you around here, or ever catch word of you terrorizing anyone else ever again, then I swear on my mother's grave that I will come find you and kill you," she spat, turning away from him.

She looked at the rest of the bandits. "That goes for the rest of you too!"

Immediately after she finished her sentence, the boars scattered in every direction, scared out of their wits by the sight of her bloody claws. She turned away from the battle scene and headed into the forest.

Along the way, Crane caught up to her. "I knew you would make the right decision."

She sighed. "Then why do I feel like I've been cheated. Why am I still angry?" she asked.

"I think it's because you weren't there to protect Jiang when he was first getting hurt, rather than just now. You've grown attached to him, and you feel like you've failed him by sparing the leader's life. But come on Tigress, you're bringing his mother back to him. I can already see the huge grin on his face when he sees her again for the first time," he said.

She nodded, but said nothing. He glanced at her. "You know you're going to have to share him now that his mother is back."

"I know it," she growled.

"You did a really good thing, Tigress. Mother and child belong together." They came upon Mantis, Viper, and Lin. Lin was shaking and fidgeting.

"So, how'd it go?" Mantis asked cheerily.

"We won't have to worry about them hurting people anymore," Tigress said.

"Great! So… back to the Valley?" Viper asked. Tigress didn't answer; she just started walking in the direction of the Jade Palace. Lin quickly caught up with her.

"You're absolutely sure that this child you have is Jiang? And that he painted that picture?" she asked frantically. Tigress glanced at her. It was almost like looking in a mirror. They both had the same fiery eyes and deep orange fur. Lin couldn't have been that much older than her, it just looked that way because of how hard she had been worked by the bandits. 

_Mother and child belong together._

"Yes. It's him."

A small glimmer of hope appeared in the corner of Lin's formerly dead eyes.

A/N: Sorry about the long wait. It's not so much writer's block anymore as it is that I'm too lazy to pick up my laptop and write. But if I get a review from every person who reads, I might update faster...

Holla!


	15. Mama and Sweetheart

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 15- Mama and Sweetheart

Tigress watched Lin, and almost felt like laughing. The minute they had gotten into the village, her eyes had lit up like a lamp as she took everything in. The ground and buildings were covered with a blanket of snow that was just deep enough to make a nice crunch when you stepped down on it, but not too deep as to slow your step.

The market was bustling, per usual, with everyone bundled up in warm wools to try and keep the heat in. The Valley of Peace had, quite literally, been transformed into a Winter Wonderland. Tigress suddenly wished for her cloak, which she had left with Jiang so he would have something of hers to comfort him.

Ever since they had come upon the bandit camp, she hadn't thought of Jiang at all, and was now feeling extremely guilty about it. _How could I have left him with Shifu? He didn't even want Jiang there in the first place! What if we get there and he's sent Jiang off to Bao Gu? Lin will be crushed. _She shook her head and turned her attention back to Lin.

"This place is so big! The village where I grew up wasn't nearly half the size of this. Jiang has probably been very happy here," Lin sighed.

"He's actually only been down here once, when I bought him some fabric for new clothes," Tigress explained. She was a bit nervous to reveal anything about Jiang to Lin yet. If this Hao was indeed her husband, and Jiang's abuser, then it would probably be very hard for Lin to take it.

"Master Tigress… thank you. For watching Jiang. He was very weak when he was born, and almost didn't survive. He needs a lot of care, and love, but he's a good child. I'm sorry if he gave you any trouble," she said.

"You're telling us. For the first few days, Jiang would let go of Tigress. He was like a little furry magnet," Mantis added.

"Yeah, and he took my action figure," Po pouted.

"Will you forget about that stupid doll? It's just wood," Tigress snapped.

"It's more than just wood! It was a friend to me when I had no one," he explained.

"And the fact that it looks like me isn't creepy at all!"

"Well, I didn't know you when I got it, _Master_ Tigress!" An argument ensued, with both Tigress and Po yelling and retorting at each other's comments before they had finished their respective sentences.

"Um… does this happen often?" Lin whispered to Crane.

"More than I'd like to admit," he sighed.

"Okay, let's break up this little love fest, shall we?" Mantis said, coming in between the two.

Tigress sighed and continued down the street. Lin started walking beside her. "You don't like him, do you?" she asked quietly.

"It depends on my mood."

"But he's the Dragon Warrior."

"I don't have to like him just because he's the Dragon Warrior. I respect him, and get along with him, but it doesn't mean I like him," she explained. Lin nodded and looked at the ground. Tigress glanced at her. "Lin, look… this may sound strange, but I think we should get you some new clothes before you go see Jiang. He's very… impressionable, and it might upset him if he sees you in that dress," she said, referring to Lin's dirty homespun.

"What else am I supposed to wear? This is the only dress I own," Lin pointed out.

"Hey, no sweat. We'll cover the cost, complements of the Jade Palace," Monkey offered.

"Oh, I don't think I could…"

"You can. And you will. The others will head up to the Jade Palace and check on Jiang, and I'll take you to get a new dress," Tigress insisted.

"How will you know where you're going? It's not as if you head down to the village every weekend to check up on the latest fashions," Po joked.

"Don't push me, panda boy," she threatened in a sweet voice, leading Lin away from the group.

"Honestly, Master Tigress, you don't have to do this," Lin insisted.

"I know, but I want to. Jiang… he's very important to me, and… this will mean a lot to him too. Seeing you again, I mean. And we just want to make you as comfortable as possible. It's no trouble, I promise you." Lin smiled kindly at her.

"I'm glad that my son has such a good protector to watch over him."

Tigress smiled back, but was inwardly chuckling. She didn't even know the half of it. Lin didn't know that Jiang called her "sissy", and by association they were practically family. She wondered if Jiang would remember Lin. He had drawn a picture of her, but would he recognize her after being separated for so long?

She started thinking about her own mother. Lin and Jiang looked a lot alike, but did she look like her mother? Or did she take more after her father? Whose eyes did she have? Where did she get her fiery temper from? She broke out of her train of thought when she realized she had slowed down to almost a complete stop.

"Is everything alright, Master Tigress?" Lin asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine. And you don't have to call me Master Tigress, if you don't want to."

"But it's your title. It would be rude to call you anything else." Tigress inwardly sighed. Lin was exactly what fathers expected their daughters to be when they grew up. Well-mannered, polite, silent unless spoken to, and gentle. And it was beginning to get on Tigress' nerves.

They came to the shop where Tigress had bought the cloth for Jiang's clothes. She had spotted a few dresses tucked in the back corner or the shop, and hoped that one would fit Lin. The bell attached to the front door jangled as the two tigresses entered the shop. The same female sow was at the counter, cutting and pinning fabric together. Her eyes lit up when she saw her customers.

"Oh! Master Tigress, what a joy and honor to see you again. No child this time, I see."

"You've seen him? You've seen Jiang? Please, tell me, how is he? Does he look like he's in good health?" Lin asked frantically. Tigress chuckled nervously and pushed her slightly to the side.

"Forgive me. You see, this is Jiang's mother, Lin. She hasn't seen her son in a while, and she's a bit nervous," she explained. A heavy red blush set across Lin's cheeks, and she went back to staring at her feet.

The pig smiled, revealing the little crinkles at the edges of her eyes. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Lin. I haven't seen Jiang since Master Tigress brought him down to pick out fabric. Such a timid little thing, and very quiet, but I've never seen a cuter baby since my own children were of that age. But that aside, is there anything I can help you ladies with?"

"Yes, she needs a new dress," Tigress said.

The shopkeeper looked her up and down. "Her dress does seem a bit ragged. Not to worry though, I believe I have one that might fit her. It's in the back; I'll go get it." She disappeared behind the curtain. Tigress glanced at Lin, who glanced back before looking away.

"What? What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing, Master Tigress."

"Lin, I'm the queen of keeping things from people, I know something's wrong. What is it? You can tell me. We don't have to be as formal as we are."

"I assure you, Master Tigress, nothing is wrong. I'm just very anxious to see my son again. I've missed him so much." Tigress nodded, but knew she was lying. There was something wrong, something that had to do with Jiang, and she would find out even if it killed her.

The sow returned with a deep blue dress draped over her arm. "Here you are, dear. If you want to try it on, you can go into the back room. We're the only ones here, so no one will disturb you," she offered, handing Lin the garment. Lin nodded and, reluctantly, passed behind the curtain.

A few minutes later, she emerged, fully dressed and nervously wringing her paws. "So? How do I look?" she asked. The dress was beautiful, made of deep blue silk with golden phoenixes woven into the fabric. Tigress didn't say anything at first, but the shopkeeper squealed.

"I knew that dress was the one! It's a little loose in the front, but that's probably because you're so thin! You look like an angel," she sighed.

Lin blushed. "Thank you. Master Tigress?" Tigress' head snapped up. "Do you like it?"

Tigress nodded quickly. "Yeah, it's… lovely. You look wonderful. Jiang will be so happy to see you." Lin smiled.

"Do you think so? Oh, Master Tigress, thank you so much! For everything. I'm indebted to you." Tigress paid the sow and stepped past Lin.

"You owe me nothing. I'm just doing what's best Jiang." She left the shop and went out into the crowded marketplace. Lin followed her.

"Master Tigress… Master Tigress!" She clamped a paw down on her shoulder. Tigress swiftly turned around.

"What? It's getting close to sundown. We still have a long way up to the Jade Palace, and if you want to see Jiang before he falls asleep, then we have to hurry." Lin gazed into Tigress' eyes for a moment.

"Alright. Please, just… take me to my little boy." Tigress sighed through her nose and started toward the Jade Palace. There was mostly silence between the two women on the walk up. Tigress had to slow down from her normal pace so that Lin could keep up and not tire out from climbing the multitude of stairs.

When they finally reached the doors, Tigress threw them open with a bang, making Lin jump.

"Tigress! Over here!" Po waved as he ran over to them. "You made it! We were getting a little worried about you. Whoa…" He stopped short when he saw Lin. Lin blushed and looked away. "…You look awesome."

She giggled and covered her paw with her mouth. "It is an honor to hear such a complement coming from the Dragon Warrior. Thank you."

Tigress rolled her eyes. "Where is he?" she demanded.

"Who?"

"Who do you think? I mean Jiang."

Po smiled. "Oh. He's in the Hall of Warriors with Shifu."

Her eyes popped. "He's still awake? It's past sunset, his bedtime was an hour ago!" she yelled, running towards the Hall. She didn't wait for Lin to catch up. Her thoughts were totally centered on the little tiger cub she had entrusted to her Master. She could hear Lin calling after her to wait and slow down, but she didn't listen.

_How could I have been so stupid? Master Shifu can't take care of Jiang! Jiang's probably huddled in a corner, crying and wondering why I left him. He's probably… _

She opened the doors and stepped inside the cool hall. And there was Jiang, laughing and bouncing a red ball up and down in the air. Master Shifu was only a few paces away, rolling the ball back to the child when it got away from him and chuckling.

Jiang looked to the door and gasped. "SISSY!" He immediately took off and ran towards her, forgetting all about his ball. Tigress had already started toward him, and scooped him up in her arms.

He nuzzled her. "You came back, Sissy."

She smiled and nuzzled him back. "Of course I came back, Jiang. I promised you that I would." She just stood there for a few moments, holding him tightly against her and giving him small kisses.

"You've returned."

She looked down at Shifu. "I have."

"And I take it that your "errand" has been taken care of?" he asked. She nodded. "Good."

Jiang tapped on her shoulder. "Yes, Sweetheart?"

"Will you tuck me in, Sissy? And tell me a bedtime story?" Tigress smiled gently and was about to agree, but something caught her ear.

"Oh my gods…" She turned toward the huge doors. Lin had entered the Hall, with Po close behind. Though most would be enthralled with the treasures and architecture surrounding them, her eyes were locked on Jiang. He whimpered and clutched at Tigress' shirt.

"Jiang, don't be scared, she's not going to hurt you…" _He doesn't remember her. He doesn't remember that she's his mother._

His lip started to quiver a little as Lin got closer. She stopped when they were only an arm's length away from each other, mother and son watching each other with fear in their eyes.

Jiang sniffled. "M-Mama?"

Lin gasped. He held out his arms to her, and she quickly accepted him into her embrace.

"Jiang… my little baby!"

"Mama!"

And after that there was a long, tearful reunion. Lin held Jiang close to her and stroked the fur on the top of his head, and big, wet tears fell down Jiang's cheeks. Tigress resisted the urge to reach out and wipe them away. This was Lin's time with Jiang. She wouldn't get in the way.

Feeling water rising to her own eyelids, she quickly wiped away any signs of crying and turned toward the exit. Jiang and Lin didn't notice.

She muttered quietly, "I'm going to bed."

A/N: Okay, this chapter has been a wonderful little distraction from writing an 80-point research paper on snow leopards that's due on Tuesday. So I promised myself no more fanfiction until my paper is done. Don't worry, I'll update soon. Don't forget to review, okay? I got a lot of reviews for the last chapter, and I'm really grateful to everyone who dropped me a line. And I dedicate this chapter to Artistwerewolf, who is writing a Shifu/Tigress story! I'm glad some people still like that pairing and are writing for it. Her story is called "A friend in need", and even though there isn't much Jade Palace action yet, her first chapter is fabulous and promises for good things to come. So go check it out! But review this first! Holla!


	16. Morning

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 16- Morning

"Good morning, Master!"

Master Shifu smiled as he walked between the ranks of his students. Even Po was up on time, even if he was still yawning and trying to keep his eyes open. But something was off. One was missing. The one he dreaded would be missing from morning wakeup call for months now.

"TIGRESS!" he yelled, throwing open the doors to her room. She wasn't there. His heart sank lower.

"Should… Should we go looking for her, Master?" Monkey asked.

He paused. "No. I will find her. You five will go and have breakfast." He turned toward the door out of the bunkhouse, and could hear the sounds of reluctant shuffling towards the kitchen.

Before leaving the bunkhouse, Shifu turned the other way from the door and down another corridor, which held the doorways to more rooms that had remained empty for quite some time. Not since his own youth had these rooms been occupied with students, and as time went on, they stopped being used all together. Mostly this was due to the fact that there simply were not enough people residing within the Jade Palace walls to bother keeping them clean and ready for use. But after he had managed to calm both Jiang and Lin down from their sobs, he had one of the rooms cleaned and prepared so that the mother and her son would have a place to sleep in and not have to worry about waking up at dawn with the rest of his students.

He quietly pushed the doors open. To his surprise, this room was also empty, with the bed made carefully. A wave of dread washed over him. What had happened to the family? Did it have something to do with Tigress being gone? Did Lin decide that it was time to go and packed up all of Jiang's new belongings and left?

Even though he had shown coldness to the cub at first, in the time the Five and the Dragon Warrior were gone he had become quite fond of Jiang. He had an endless supply of youthful energy that he constantly used once he had gotten used to the red panda being around him so much.

Tigress had been right—he had seen the scars of abuse when he had persuaded the cub to get into a bath. Jiang was timid around strangers, and he very easily would break out in tears if he became frightened. And it made him angry too, the fact that whoever did this was probably still alive and in better condition than Jiang had been when he had come into their lives. But that would have to come later, first he had to find Tigress.

If Lin decided that she would leave the Palace with Jiang… it was her decision, and there wasn't much he could do about it. _That's not true. You could order her to stay for the welfare of the child. _He told his inner voice to shut up and inwardly blew a raspberry at it.

He left the room and sprinted out of the bunkhouse as quickly as possible. _Training hall. That's where she'll be._ He ran down the paths leading toward the training hall, but there was nothing but silence. No yells accompanied with the sounds of breaking wood and bending metal.

Shifu was torn as to whether this was a blessing or not. No sounds meant that she wasn't trying to hurt herself through training again, but what if she wasn't there at all? Where would he begin to look? He shook his head and approached the doors, opening them quietly and stepping inside.

To his relief, the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion were fully intact and still in their places. He passed them to get a better look around the rest of the training hall, but suddenly stopped. There, in the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors, was Tigress. She wasn't fighting against them, though. There were some destroyed warriors, but most were still intact. Instead of trying to kill the wooden dummies, Tigress was curled up in between them, unmoving.

He immediately jumped down into the pit and started to check over her form. There was no knife wound to the chest, so that was a good thing. And she was breathing steadily. She wasn't dead, just asleep. He released a withheld breath.

"Tigress." He gently shook her arm. "Tigress, wake up."

Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him. "Master Shifu?"

He smiled at her. "Good morning. How long have you been here?" he asked quietly.

She sat up and looked around. "Since last night, I think. I didn't want to disturb anyone already asleep in the bunkhouse." He grunted and nodded. He knew this was a lie. He could see the slight redness bordering her eyes. She had come here to cry and hadn't wanted anyone to see.

He sighed. "I'm sorry." She looked at him.

"What?"

"You were right. I was treating you like a child. Because in a way, you still are a child to me. But you're a grown woman now, and if you want to take in cubs that you find on the steps of the Jade Palace, then you are in full rights to do so. I should not be standing in the way of whatever it is you want to do with your life. Motherhood was not what I expected out of you, but who am I to judge?"

"Jiang isn't my child. He's just my little brother. And not even that," Tigress corrected.

"Tigress, you are that cub's—Jiang's—mother. You have fed him and clothed him and defended him. He is getting over past experiences because of the love you have shown him. And that makes you his mother," he explained.

She paused. "But… Lin…"

"It doesn't matter about her. She has not loved him as you have. Mothers love their children, but you've devoted your life to this boy. A month or two ago, if I asked you to watch over a child in need, you would have crinkled your nose and asked why. But now… your instincts have taken over. Jiang is your child, and even if he has a thousand biological mothers, you will always be more important than them in his eyes."

She sniffled. "Do you really think so? Or are you just saying that to get back in my good graces?" He smiled a little at her bluntness.

"It is my duty as your master to be truthful to you. And should you ever find a man and marry, you will be an excellent mother." She wiped the corners of her eyes.

"Thank you, Master."

"Of course. But for now, you should go join the others for breakfast. And then we will discuss whether or not you may begin training again," he said. She rose to her feet and started out the door.

"Are you coming, Master?" she asked, turning back to face him. He paused and then smiled and nodded. They left the training hall together and went back to the bunkhouse.

When they entered the building, the sounds of talk and laughter could be coming from the kitchen. There was also an extremely pleasant aroma wafting towards them. They entered the kitchen, and were a little surprised as to what they saw.

Everyone was gathered around the breakfast table, happily chatting with one another and eating bowls of freshly cut fruit. Lin was at the stove. She was stirring a large pot that was the origin of the delicious and spicy scent that had greeted the pair in the hallway. Jiang was there too, gently poking at a strawberry with one finger. He glanced down at the strawberry before looking back up at Tigress with wide eyes. She smiled and nodded. He then proceeded to eat his breakfast with a newfound zeal.

"What's that all about?" Shifu whispered to her.

"I'll tell you later."

"Master Tigress, Master Shifu," Lin greeted with a bow, handing them both a bowl of fruit, "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of preparing breakfast this morning." Shifu and Tigress exchanged glances.

"…Of course not," Shifu said slowly.

Tigress didn't say anything to Lin, she just left the two near the door and took one of the empty seats next to Jiang. He held up a berry to her, and she chuckled before taking it and popping it into her mouth.

"Thank you very much for allowing Jiang and me to stay for a while, Master Shifu," Lin said as she went back over to the stove.

"It was my pleasure. We've all gotten quite used to having Jiang around. He's a very well-mannered child."

Lin glowed. "Thank you. Please, have a seat, breakfast will be ready any minute." Shifu couldn't help but like Lin. She reminded him of his own mother, who was always coddling him and his three younger sisters.

Before long, a steaming hot bowl of rice porridge mixed with cinnamon was in front of each of the masters and the little boy seated at the table. "Okay, this has to be the best breakfast I have ever eaten," Po said with his mouth full.

"Yeah. Your noodles are really great, Po, but it's nice to have something else for a change," Crane agreed.

"Would you consider staying here forever?" Mantis asked.

Lin laughed. "I don't know about staying forever, but thank you for your gracious complements. I must be a better cook than I thought if the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior approve of my cooking," she said, sitting down on the other side of Jiang from Tigress and spooning some of the porridge into his mouth.

"By the way, how long were you planning on staying? We're all going to miss Jiang to death if you leave with him," Viper commented.

"I haven't really thought about it much. But I don't want to be a burden."

"Hey, if you would make breakfast every morning, I would strap you to my back and carry you," Mantis said.

Lin smiled and shrugged. "I don't really know how long we'll be staying. I want to make sure that those bandits never come after me and put Jiang in any danger."

"Okay, did you see Tigress when she had the leader in her grip? She nearly ripped his head off!" Monkey exclaimed.

"Did she now?" Master Shifu asked, looking warily at Tigress. Tigress remained silent and picked at her fruit.

"Well, that aside, I also need to contact my husband." Tigress and Crane looked at each other with a knowing look. The rest of the table fell silent as well. "What? Was it something I said?" she asked.

Shifu stood up from his seat. "Students, it is time to begin training for the day. Crane, Tigress, you will stay here for a few more minutes. And Viper, please take Jiang back to his room." Everyone got out of their seats and starting following their master's orders.

"Jiang, would you like to play hide-and-seek with me? I know it's your favorite game," Viper coaxed, slithering over towards the door. Jiang nodded and climbed off his chair and onto the floor. He ran after Viper, giggling happily.

"What's going on? Where is she taking Jiang?" Lin asked frantically.

Shifu gently patted her paw. "Relax, Viper will keep a sharp eye on him. But there are a few questions we need to ask you about your husband…"

* * *

A/N: I was really surprised as to how little time I had to take to write this. I'm very excited. My writer's block is finally over! Yayyy!

And btw, here's a video that I found on YouTube. It's really cool, and it's mostly for the enjoyment of Luna Goldsun, because she knits and I hope she will find this interesting. Just get on YouTube and search "Miniature Knitter". It's the first vid that pops up on the list.

And before I forget again, is anyone interesting in drawing Jiang and Lin? I would love it if someone would and maybe post it on DeviantArt or some other art-posting website. And I would dedicate a chapter after you! Please? Well, think about it. Holla!


	17. Hao

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 17- Hao

The moment Master Shifu mentioned the word "husband", some of the terror that had donned over me at Jiang being let out of my sight drifted away. Most of it was still there, of course.

Jiang was my baby, the baby that I had not seen for nearly a year now. I was determined to let nothing happen to him. He was in good care now, but what if we fell out of the graces of Master Shifu and the Furious Five? I had sworn when he was born that I would protect Jiang's life with my own—and if they turned against us, I would hold to that promise.

Or worse… what if they tried to take him from me? I already had my doubts about Master Tigress, who looks to be very close to Jiang. But I had something to distract myself now. Something I was very eager to learn about myself.

"Hao?" True, I hadn't seen him yet, but he must be here. Maybe they're keeping him in another part of the Jade Palace, because they didn't have room, or maybe he's found work and is in the village.

"We don't know his name. We haven't met your husband," Master Crane explained.

How could this be? Hao wouldn't just leave Jiang with a bunch of strangers… maybe he got called away, to somewhere very far, and he had to leave Jiang with someone he could trust… that's it. He's just on a trip.

"Hao is my husband… but what about him?" I asked. Like where is he? Why isn't he here with our son? Do you imbeciles know anything?

"We have reason to believe that Hao wasn't taking care of Jiang to the best of his abilities," Master Shifu replied.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. Hao is a wonderful father." Master Tigress snorted. I wanted to claw her eyes out at that moment. How dare she sneer at my husband, when she didn't even know him?

"What's there to scoff about, Master Tigress?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. She locked eyes with me, and I could read the message in her mind perfectly. 

_Jiang is mine, so back off._

I sent her one right back. _Not on your life, he's _my _baby boy._

"You haven't been in contact with Hao for quite a while, have you Lin?" she asked me.

"Not since I was taken from my home."

Where was she going with this? She knew that I hadn't seen him. Anyone with half a brain who had seen that greasy pig would be able to fit two and two together. She stuck a paw into one of the pockets of her pants and withdrew a folded piece of paper, much like the one she had shown me at the bandit camp. The paper was of the same fine quality, very smooth and almost completely white. She handed it to me.

"This is another one of Jiang's drawings. He made it the same day he painted the one of you being kidnapped."

I slowly took the paper and unfolded it, but I kept my eyes on Master Tigress. She motioned for me to look at the paper's contents. I glanced to the other two masters. They both seemed to know what was going on. I looked down.

There was a tiger on this page, too, but it looked more like a vicious beast than a civilized person. He was holding something in his hand, but I couldn't quite tell what it was. And there was a smaller tiger, who was standing near the tiger-beast and who was crying.

"What the hell is this supposed to be?" I asked her, dropping the nice-girl act. If she was going to be blunt, then so would I. And as I thought, a look of complete surprise flashed across her face. That's right; the perfect innocent wife knows cuss words.

She snapped out of it though, and narrowed her eyes at me. "I didn't really understand it when he showed it to me for the first time either. But after a little coaxing, he told me that that was his daddy."

My eyes widened. No. There was no possible way that this could be Hao, my Hao, looking so twisted and evil. Hao was a good, kind man, who was friends with nearly everyone in our village. How could he ever be this… this thing? "Hao didn't arrive here at the Jade Palace with your son. Master Tigress found him on the steps leading up to this complex. He had extreme malnutrition, nearly had hypothermia, and he was extremely skittish to everyone who came near him," Master Shifu said.

"Well that doesn't mean that Hao did it!"

"Just face the damn facts, your husband was a bastard! He was getting drunk and beating Jiang senseless!" Master Tigress yelled.

"My husband would not do that!" I screamed back, "He loves Jiang! With all his heart! I would have to force him to go to work some days so that he wouldn't spend the whole day just playing with Jiang! You don't know what you're talking about!"

Things started to blur after that. I felt tears rising up to my eyelids. A few might have escaped, but I don't remember. I turned away from Master Tigress. I hated her. At that moment I really did. Even after all the kindness she had shown me, of getting me away from the bandits and buying me a new dress, I still hated her. I never wanted to look at her again. She was a witch. A vile, heartless witch who didn't care about anyone but herself.

Master Crane glared at Tigress, and took a step toward me. I backed away. "Lin, we know this may be hard to accept. But it's the truth. Jiang was in terrible shape when we found him, and he probably would have died if we hadn't heard him crying in the weeds. I don't know what happened to your husband, but Jiang was really hurt because of him and we need to know… we need to know if this ever happened before."

I looked at him. "What? Do you think my husband kicked us both around and I'm just making all this up as a defense mechanism?" He looked away. Yup, he thought I was crazy. "Well you're wrong. Hao was a good husband, and a loving father! He would never hit Jiang! I know it!"

"Woman, whatever the circumstances of your past life with him were, this is what's happening now! Your son's body is covered with scars from cuts, and I'm sure that he didn't make them himself! And his situation must have been very bad if he would leave his home at only three years old, with no idea of how to survive without parents," Shifu said.

I froze. "Jiang… Jiang ran away? On his own? And he's here?" My voice was quavering. There was no way possible…

"What? Where did you live before?" Master Tigress asked.

"In Xindu Province."

The three Masters fell silent with awe. I didn't blame them. How did my son—my three year old toddler—get to the Valley of Peace _on his own_ all the way from Xindu? It was a difficult journey for most full grown men, let alone a three year old.

Master Tigress shook her head. "It doesn't matter, alright? What matters is that your husband has committed a terrible crime, and we have to find him so that he can be punished."

I glared at her. "You won't get any help from me. I know Hao, and everything you're saying is a lie! He loves our son! And I won't let you hurt him." She stepped forward so that we were face to face.

"I don't care if I have to go to the ends of the earth, I will find him, and I will _kill_ him. He deserves to die after what he did to Jiang." That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"HE'S NOT YOUR SON!"

She took a small step back.

"JIANG IS NOT YOUR SON, HE WILL NEVER BE YOUR SON, AND I WILL BE BURNING IN HELL BEFORE I LET YOU GET AWAY WITH TRYING TO BE HIS MOTHER! I AM HIS MOTHER AND HAO IS HIS FATHER AND THERE ISN'T ONE DAMN THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!"

There was complete silence. All I could hear was my own labored breathing. It felt good to do that. It felt good to yell at her and to scream and bring her down off her pillar of greatness. Master Tigress was one of the most famous people in China, but I wouldn't let her take my son from me.

It was time to leave.

* * *

A/N: Wow... I have no idea where that came from. I finished that in ONE MORNING. I mean, I had a two hour delay, but I have never finished a chapter in less than two hours before. This is kind of a big deal for me.

Just for clarification, Xindu Province is now the modern province of Hebei. I don't really know how many miles that is from wherever the Valley would be in China, but I hope it's a reasonable distance away.

So, any takers for drawing Jiang and Lin? Please? And once I introduce Hao, I might want someone to draw him as well. I would do it myself, but let's face it, you don't want to see something I've drawn. Just trust me on this. Holla!


	18. Stress Management

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 18- Stress Management

Tigress took long, impatient strides towards the training hall. She needed to blow off steam, and blow it off quickly before she took it out on someone innocent.

_Lin_. The name made her want to summon all the fire and brimstone in hell and rain it down on the world so she could watch everyone scream and run around in circles while she laughed manically above them like a dictator. Everyone but Jiang, of course. He would be safely tucked away where none of it could hurt his fragile mind.

Okay. She needed to blow off some steam.

She threw the doors open, not caring about the huge bang that they made as they hit against the front wall they were attached to, and she would have jumped onto the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion so she could pretend each one was Lin's head but instead had to stop short.

She nearly fell into the swirling dragons and the water beneath them, if a paw hadn't latched onto the back of her vest and pulled her up.

"Good morning, Master Tigress."

It was Chen, one of the workers at the Jade Palace. He was also a tiger, who often was the only one strong enough to fix the training equipment whenever Tigress or someone else (but mostly Tigress) decided to break something.

She smiled. "Good morning, Chen." She was trying to hold in giggles as she looked at him. He was currently strapped into a strange harness and was dangling slightly above her. "Um, it may not be any of my business, but what's with the…" she motioned towards the contraption.

He grinned and looked at his position. "I really do look like a fool right now, don't I? It's a pulley system so that I can get a good look at the rigging for the clubs. I thought I would have the hall to myself for the morning—Master Shifu told me that you and the Five and Po were off on a mission, so I should inspect the training equipment before you got back."

She explained, "We came back early."

"I hope that means that whatever force of evil that was idiotic enough to get in your path has been dispatched?" he asked. She smiled and nodded. He grinned at her, which made her feel a little shy. Why, she didn't know. But it always did.

"Well, now that you're here, I suppose my inspection would be pretty useless since you're probably about to turn these babies to dust," he said, patting one of the clubs before pulling on the ropes to lower himself to the ground.

"No, no, please, go ahead. I don't want to do anything that gives you more work," she insisted, waving him away.

"Master Tigress, it's because of your destructive nature that I have food on my table every night and a warm bed to sleep in. I would be very grateful if you would make me fashion new ones. I've pretty much worked it down to an art, so it wouldn't take too long."

Tigress grimaced. _Okay, so I'm a little over aggressive sometimes… _"Really, it's okay, I just needed to relieve some stress. But I'll just go meditate," she said, scooting towards the door.

"Wait!"

He unhooked himself from the harness and dropped gracefully to the floor. "Not that it's any of my business, but what's wrong? You can tell me, I can keep a secret."

She fidgeted. "Well… it's just… you know who Jiang is, right?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, I know who he is. When you were gone he discovered me in here working and attached himself to me like a little leech. It actually worked out pretty well for Master Shifu, since he had someone to watch Jiang while he meditated. He muttered something about Jiang pulling on his ears while he was trying to find inner peace."

Tigress smiled genuinely and chuckled. "That sounds like Jiang. But the mission that we went on actually led us to his birth mother. We brought her back here so she could see her son again, but there have been some… problems," she explained. Her voice had turned very bitter at the end.

"What kind of problems. She's not crazy, is she?" he asked.

"Well, no, but she's become very protective of him. And before she came to the Jade Palace, I was the one who mostly took care of Jiang, so we've clashed a little in that area. But there's a rather big problem in the way of her husband."

"Did he leave them for another woman, or did he die? It's usually one of the two when it comes to men and family problems."

"He…" She took a deep, bracing breath. "He physically abused Jiang. I'm pretty sure it was after Lin was taken away, because she didn't know anything about it and refuses to believe that it happened."

Chen was silent. He set his jaw and locked eyes with her, and the look in his brilliant green eyes actually scared her a little. "He hit his kid? That's low. And I mean scum low. Lower than scum, actually. I can't imagine anyone being able to hit that kid. He's just… very cute."

The last part made her want to laugh, but she knew he was being serious. "It's really terrible. But she won't believe that her husband did anything wrong. We tried to explain to her that punishing him is to protect Jiang, but she won't listen."

"What in the gods' names would possess him to hit his own flesh and blood anyway?" Chen asked angrily.

She told him, "He was under the influence of alcohol. You do strange and unthinkable things when you're drunk."

Chen grunted, then was silent for a moment. He looked up at her. "So what are you going to do?"

She sighed, running her fingers through the fur on her head. "I don't know," she whispered. "I don't know."

There was silence, except for the quiet sounds of the wind blowing outside. Tigress tried her best to cheer up and smile. "Thanks for listening. It… actually worked a lot better than destroying stuff or meditating."

He nodded. "I'm here anytime you need to talk."

"I'll hold you to that," she warned. Then she set off out of the training hall to find her baby brother.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I know it seems like I'm turning this into a Tigress romance fic like I did with Year of the Goose, (those who haven't read it won't know what I'm talking about), but I swear, Tigress won't have much of a romance with Chen. He's important to the plot, don't get me wrong, but their romance isn't the focus of the story. That belongs to Jiang all the way! And who couldn't focus on him. He's adorable!

And also, before I forget, thanks to Chocolate Eyes Black Soul for offering to draw Jiang and Lin! I'll tell everyone when she posts it, 'kay?

Holla!


	19. Faces

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 19- Faces

Dark clouds were swirling over the Valley of Peace. They wouldn't bring rain, for it was far too cold, but it was a sure sign of snow. The wind was blowing at a steady pace, lowering the temperature and biting at any creature that happened to be trapped within its clutches.

Tigress rubbed her arms and tried to shield her face. It was cold, much too cold to be outside. She wanted her cloak, but she hadn't expected it to get so frigid so fast. She broke out at a run on all fours, the warmth and comfort of the bunkhouse being the only thing on her mind.

She didn't mind winter much. It put a dent in on training because they couldn't always get to the training hall, but it also meant more time for herself. _Time when you would wish you could be training._

And even though it was cold, it meant she could curl up in front of the brazier and read or just relax. _Which you never would because you would be practicing your form._

She sighed as she entered the bunkhouse, letting the warm wash over her and make her body tingle with the sudden temperature change. She sighed contentedly and walked down the hall to her room, quietly shutting the door. She turned around and inspected the room. She half expected Jiang to be on her bed, curled up and napping, or hiding in her cloak and giggling, waiting for her to spot him and end a game of hide-and-seek.

But there was no one. The room was empty. And it felt… colder than usual. Even for winter. She had gotten so used to him. His angelic, smiling face and charming giggle. When he grew up, he would be quite the ladies' man.

She remembered how he used to nuzzle her and rest his head on her shoulder. He was the perfect little child. But he had just been reunited with his mother, and probably wanted to be with her. Who was she to stand in the way of his happiness? After all, mother and child belong together. Even if she hated the mother's guts.

She took her mind off of Lin. It would just make her angry again. And she had promised herself she wouldn't go back to the training hall until after Chen was finished with his inspection. What if he found something wrong? Maybe one of the swinging clubs was about to fall off and would have crushed her if the rigging was shaken. Someone could get really hurt. No, if she got angry again, she would just have to meditate to get over it.

She walked over to her bed and sat down. Almost immediately she stood back up. She stuck her paw in between the sheets, and plucked Dai out. She smiled. Jiang had slept in her bed when she was gone. She slowly sat back down and ran her fingers around the outline of the duck. It was just cloth that had been sewn together and stuffed. A child's toy. But earlier in the year, she would have rolled her eyes at the thing and tossed it over her shoulder. Now… now she looked at it and smiled.

She remembered her own childhood domino set, which was tucked away in her trunk, not having been touched in many years. The very domino set which won her way into the Jade Palace. It was strange, how something so simple could be so important in the eyes of a child. She was tempted to dig through her trunk to find her dominos so she could just look at them and run her fingers over the smooth tiles, but she didn't. She just held Dai and hugged him to her chest.

She thought about her mother. _What does she think of me now? Is she proud that I helped Jiang? Or is she angry that I'm trying to pry a child away from its mother for my own selfish means? Does she even remember me?_ She looked up towards the ceiling, up to the heavens.

"Mama? I don't know if you can hear me. But I hope you can. I just want you to know that I miss you. And that I hope you're happy in Heaven with Baba. Mama, I don't know what to do with my life anymore. I've always been so dedicated to kung fu. But where has it gotten me? I don't even care about the fame it brings. What have I gained from drilling and pushing myself day after day? I don't get any satisfaction from it anymore. And what about Jiang? What's going to happen to him? I know that Lin is his mother, but she hasn't seen him since he was two years old! I've been taking good care of him, and clearly she has some issues that she needs to work out. But what am I supposed to do? I can't just let go of Jiang. He's so important to me. Mama, please, just tell me what to do. How can I fix this? What am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?"

There was no answer. Tigress shook her head. _Of course she won't answer. She's dead._

"Sissy?" Tigress looked up. Jiang was peeking in through the doorway.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. He ran over to her, and she picked him up. He pulled on the fabric of his shirt.

"I spilled water on my shirt. Sorry, Sissy. I didn't mean to." A dark stain was clearly visible against the forest green fabric.

She half smiled. He still needed her.

"Don't worry, Jiang. We'll just get you a fresh shirt, alright?" She placed him on the bed and opened the drawer she had allocated to his clothes, but it was empty. _What? I know his clothes were right here. _She opened the rest of the drawers, but not one piece of Jiang's clothing was left. "What the…"

"My clothes are gone, Sissy. Mama has them," Jiang said. She wanted to punch something. Instead she held in her anger. _Jiang is here, and you can't upset him. Just find Lin, and everything will be alright. _She strode over to the door.

"Sweetheart, stay right there. I'm going to go find your mother so that I can get you a new shirt." Jiang nodded and watched her go. Tigress strode down the halls of the bunkhouse before coming to the room where she had been told Lin slept last night. She threw open the doors. Lin was there, looking very angry. Tigress scanned her eyes over Lin, and then they flickered over to the bag that was set next to the bed.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

Lin smiled sweetly as she folded one of Jiang's shirts. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tigress snatched the shirt away from her, and stared her down. "What the hell is going on, Lin?" Lin turned her back to Tigress and got another shirt out of the pile and began to fold it.

"Clearly you see no more favor in me, Master Tigress. I believe I've overstayed my welcome. So I'm giving you what you want. I'm leaving."

"So why are you taking Jiang's clothes?"

"Well I have to take him with me! He's my son," Lin said.

"And he's been very happy here. Just because you want to go out into the streets of the Valley doesn't mean that I'm going to let you take Jiang—"

"Take Jiang where? Away from your arms? He is MY SON, and I may take him anywhere I wish. And no matter how much power you have or what you do, you cannot stop me. Jiang is _my_ boy, he is _my_ responsibility, and I intend to give him the family he deserves. His own."

Tigress narrowed her eyes. "You're going to go look for your husband, aren't you?" Lin put down the shirt and faced her.

"So what if I am?" There was silence for a few moments.

"You're not taking him," Tigress stated, "You may go look for your husband all you want, but Jiang stays here. It's too cold for him to be outside for long periods of time, and if you try to take him from his Sissy, I guarantee that he'll cry and beg to go home. Because this is his home. He has family here."

"And what, you're his mother now? You think you're the matriarch of this little patchwork family? You, with the adorable little boy who smiles and giggles and makes everyone squeal about how cute he is? What do you know about being a mother? You've spent your entire life fighting. Hurting. _Destroying_. And I won't let my son be exposed to that," Lin said.

"I don't understand you! Here Jiang is safe—he has food to eat, a place to sleep, and clothes to wear. So what does it matter? We all love him, and we want him to stay. The only problem you seem to have with that is…"

"The only problem I have with that is _you_, Tigress. Down in that shop in the village you asked me if something was wrong, and I said no. But there is. And what's wrong is that you're trying to steal my baby from me! I'm very grateful to you for taking care of him, but now I'm here and I can do it myself. I've been taught ever since I was a little girl that I was going to be a mother when I grew up, and I prepared for it! I was so happy when I had a baby, because I knew I could love it and take care of it, even without a husband's help. I'm not going to let you steal Jiang away. He's all I have in this world right now."

She gave up on folding clothes and just stuffed them into the bag before leaving the room. Tigress followed her. Lin picked up the pace, and so did Tigress. Jiang was still sitting patiently on the bed, his hands folded in his lap. He smiled when his mother and sissy came into the room.

"Come here, Jiang," Lin said in a soft voice, holding her arms out to him. She picked him up and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"You won't get away with this," Tigress said, blocking the doorway.

"Please move. I have somewhere to go," Lin said quietly, turning down her voice so she wouldn't scare Jiang.

"Mama, where are we goin'?" Jiang asked.

"Nowhere. You aren't going anywhere, Jiang," Tigress said adamantly, still looking at Lin.

"Yes, he is, now step aside," Lin commanded.

"No."

Lin scowled and started to walk past Tigress, stepping hard on her foot. It made Tigress clench her teeth and move slightly to the side. It was enough room to slip through, which Lin did and started down the hall. Jiang looked back at Tigress and smiled. She looked up at him. She wasn't smiling, and tears were beginning to stream down her cheeks. Jiang's smile fell.

"Mama, Sissy's crying!" he exclaimed. Lin glanced down at her boy.

"Jiang, that woman isn't your sister. She's just someone with misguided good intentions."

A/N: I am a very lazy person... I already have chapter 20 written and I haven't posted this yet. Bad, bad corset. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Holla!


	20. Two Weeks Later

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 20- Two Weeks Later

Cold. It was so cold. He was used to it, and it didn't bother him as much as it used to, but he missed his bed. He missed the warm covers. He missed the soft pillow underneath his head. But there wasn't anything he could do about it, so he would keep quiet. That was what he had to do, keep quiet. If he didn't, it would only hurt him more. That's what he had learned, the hard way.

Jiang snuggled closer to his mother and looked up at her. She looked different than he remembered her. She looked sad and tired. She used to be so happy and sing songs for him, smiling the whole while. He didn't remember much, but every memory of his mother before she had left had been a happy one. He wanted his Mama to be happy again.

He gently tugged on her dress. The pretty pattern wasn't nearly as nice as it once was. "Mama?"

She looked down at him with sleepy eyes. "Yes, Jiang?" He smiled a little and giggled as she scratched him behind the ear. She smiled again, which made him very happy.

"Mama, why can't we go see Sissy? I miss her."

Her smile fell. She released a weighted sigh from her mouth. "No, Jiang. I'm sorry. But we wouldn't be very welcome there. Your sissy is very mad at me."

"Why? Sissy's really nice. She'll be happy if we come back," Jiang said. She hugged him close to her, and he felt a little warmer.

"I know you miss her. But until things look a little better, we'll just have to live on our own. I'm sorry." He was disappointed, but didn't say anything about it. If he looked sad, then she would be even sadder.

After they had left Sissy, they hadn't really stayed anywhere. The day they left, she had taken him to a building with lots of people sitting around at tables and talking and eating. She set him down on one of the tables and told him to stay put, and then she left. When she came back, she picked him up and carried him to a room with a small bed, a table and chair, and a small mirror hanging on the wall. The room wasn't very big, but it didn't matter much to him since he had a place to sleep and food to eat.

The next morning she was gone, so he just sat quietly in the room, by himself, until she came back. It was very late, and she looked tired and just curled up in bed next to him and fell right to sleep.

They stayed there for a few days, but then he accidentally broke the mirror on the wall. He had skinned his knee and cut his hand, but the very angry man who made them leave and wouldn't let them back in didn't seem to care.

After that, they just walked around the village all day, and then at night they found somewhere quiet and secluded where they would spend the night. It was almost always outside, but Mama did her best to find somewhere that was dry and out of the wind.

Now they were sitting in a small alleyway between two houses. How nice it would be to be inside one of the houses. The smell of cooking vegetables was drifting out of one, and both probably had a warm fire he could curl up beside and sleep.

It was windy, and water was dripping off the roofs, making little puddles. Their clothes were wet and soiled. They were dirty because they hadn't bathed since they left, and they hadn't eaten for days. And now it was starting to snow again. He gently shook his mother's arm.

"Mama." She didn't respond. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing had evened out. She had fallen asleep.

"Mama, wake up. Mama!" She didn't move or open her eyes. He rested his head against her stomach. His bottom lip began to quiver, and tears stung his eyes. His stomach was hurting from being empty for so long.

In a small, scared voice, he whispered, "Daddy?"

But only the whistling wind called back, making him even colder and bringing the tears from his eyes down his cheeks.

* * *

Tigress lifted her face out of her pillow. Her eyes were bloodshot, and a little moisture was dripping out of her nose.

Jiang was gone. The little boy who she had fed and dressed and slept beside was just gone. Lin had taken him, and Tigress had no idea where they were. They could be miles away from the Valley if Lin decided to cross the Thread of Hope.

She wanted him back, more than anything. She had become so accustomed to seeing his sleeping face next to her when she woke up, and sometimes still having to nod to get him to eat. The mentioning of the words "hide and seek" made her burst into sobs. And she had posted all the paintings he had done, save the two of his parents, on the walls of her bedroom.

A soft knock on the door had brought her out of her wallowing. She didn't want to see anyone, but she shoved her sadness and tears away and stood up. No one would see her cry. She couldn't seem weak. Not to anyone. She slowly opened the door. Chen was standing out in the hall. He smiled at her, and she tried to smile back.

"Hello, Master Tigress."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Hello." There was a short period of silence.

"I… I got a little worried about you. No one has seen you for a while, and I haven't had to fix the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion once. Usually you have me in the training hall eight or nine times a week," he said.

She barely whispered out, "Sorry."

"Is there something you want to talk about?" he offered. She shook her head. "Are you sure? It might make you feel better."

She sighed raggedly, shaking her head and looking away. "I miss Jiang."

Chen nodded. "I know how close you were to him. I'm sorry that he and his mother left so abruptly. It must be hard for you."

She nodded and sniffled, her voice cracking. "I keep seeing him. Everywhere. And I'll hold my arms out to him, and just wait for him to run into my embrace. But he never does." The tears finally fell and her shoulders started quaking.

He lifted her chin and wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumb. "Hey, hey, none of that. I'm sure that he's fine, and that he's happy. You did a really good thing by taking him in and getting him used to having someone take care of him again."

"I know," she said, trying to collect herself, "I know. But it's not the same. Nothing's the same without him here." He wrapped her in a hug, gently patting and rubbing her back.

"It'll be okay. You'll see. Everything will be fine." She nodded and rested her head on his chest. After a few moments of just standing there, Tigress stood up straight.

"C-Chen?"

He smiled. "Yes?"

She wiped her eyes. "Can… can you help me with something?" she asked.

"Of course. Anything for the lady." She smiled a little, then put her paw on the back of his head and pulled him down, catching his lips in a kiss. He just stood there, shocked, at the fact that Tigress, _Master _Tigress of the Furious Five, was engaging in a very passionate act with _him_.

Slowly he eased into the kiss, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body close to his. Without breaking the kiss, Tigress slid open the door to her room. She placed her paws on his upper arms and led him into the room, closing the door softly behind them.

A/N: The beginning of this chapter was partially inspired by the book _Runaway_ by Wendelin Van Draanen. It's a really great book, if anyone's looking for something good to read.

Research paper. On snow leopards. Over 2,000 words long. Eight full pages. But I DID IT! OH YEAH! And now I will never have to face the dreaded English research paper again! YES! My English teacher is crazy. She made us turn in 40 notecards with everything we were going to include in our paper on them. What's the point of writing the paper if you already know everything that's going to be included? And we were only allowed to use TWO Internet sources. THAT. SUCKED. But now I never have to do it again! Yayyyyyy!

I'm going to throw myself a little party, and maybe go down to my local zoo to see the snow leopard there. Holla!


	21. Disturbing Events

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 21- Disturbing Events

The life of a dressmaker is a simple one. Every day you arise at dawn to sew for a few hours. Then you go into the shop and organize all your wares; making sure the bolts of cloth look neat and tidy, brushing any threads off the floors and counter, and arranging everything to make it look attractive. Then you unlock the front door, take a seat behind the counter, and work on more sewing until a customer comes in.

When interacting with a buyer, you had to be courteous and helpful, even if that day has been the worst in your life. Then you have to clean up before locking up and heading off to bed, only to wake up the next morning before sunrise to do it again. Rarely do strange and unusual things happen. So it surprised Mrs. Cho unlocked the shop door after closing to find a little tiger standing there, sniffling.

The poor thing looked ragged and was shivering. He had obviously been crying. His eyes were puffy and she could see the streaks from old tears still clinging to his fur. But then she noticed that it was snowing, and the little thing had no jacket on.

"Oh, you poor dear!"

She reached down to pick him up, but he cried out and scooted back. Then she finally recognized him. He had those bright, glowing eyes. This was the cub that Master Tigress had brought to get cloth for, and who she had discussed with the boy's mother.

"What are you doing out here by yourself, little one?" she asked quietly.

He sniffled and answered in an utterly terrified voice, "Please help me! Mama won't get up!" Mrs. Cho didn't have the slightest idea as to what he was talking about, but she still took him up in her arms.

"Just calm down, little one, and tell me where she is." He wiped his nose on his arm, then pointed down the street. She carried him a ways, until he wriggled out of her arms and ran down an alley. She followed after him, and found him kneeling next to the woman Master Tigress had bought a dress for. She was still wearing it, too.

He shook her arm. "Mama! Wake up! Mama!" She didn't move, and he started to sob.

Mrs. Cho felt her heart break at the scene, and she gently patted the cub's head. "Don't cry, little one. I'll go get help for your Mama. Stay right here with her, and I'll be back soon." _I pray it won't be too late._ The boy settled into the tigress' lap and nodded.

Mrs. Cho went as fast as she could out of the alley and into the street. It was basically deserted, since it was getting close to suppertime and everyone was with their families. _Help… where can I get help?_ An idea suddenly came to her, and she ran down the street and skidded into Ping's Noodle Shop.

Mr. Ping had always been a dear friend of her, and hopefully some of the diners would be able to assist her in getting the woman up to the living quarters of her shop. "PING!" The goose smiled at her as she approached the counter. "Mrs. Cho, it's been a while, hasn't it?" he greeted cordially, waving a wing as he sprinkled some powdered ginger into a bowl of soup.

"There's an emergency, Ping. There's a woman passed out in an alleyway," she reported.

"Oh dear! Is she alright?"

"I'm not sure. I think she's still alive. But there's a little boy with her who can't be more than a few years old." Ping grimaced, looking out at the full tables of customers and the long line still waiting for soup.

Mrs. Cho scoffed. "Ping, you're not seriously thinking of leaving someone who is in need for work, are you?" she accused.

"No, no, of course not. But how will we move her? We aren't exactly spring chickens anymore," he noted. Another bright idea popped into Mrs. Cho's head.

She got up onto the counter and called out, "There will be a free bowl of noodles for whoever helps us do a good deed for a woman and child in need!" Mr. Ping looked like he was about to faint as the entire shop raised their hands. She looked among them and chose about 6 sturdy men who she figured could move the woman.

"Thank you very much gentlemen. Come with me, please." The men followed her out of the shop, followed by a very distraught goose.

"So what are we doing, Cho?" one of the men asked. They came to the alley, and the cub clutched his mother's dress as they approached. He whimpered and covered his eyes when Mrs. Cho picked him up.

"There, there, little one. No harm is going to come to you or your mother. We're here to help you." He sniffled, then snuggled closer to her. The men lifted the tigress up and carried her out of the alley. "Be careful with her; make sure you don't drop her!" she warned.

"If you need somewhere to put her, she can rest in Po's old room. The bed there will be big enough for her," Mr. Ping offered.

She nodded. "Thank you. I would keep her in my house, but I don't have a room large enough for her and the little one here," she explained, stroking the cub's cheek. Mr. Ping's eyes widened when he saw the boy.

"Is that Jiang?"

"You've seen him before?" she asked.

"Master Tigress brought him down to my shop with Po, the Five, and Master Shifu for dinner about a month ago! What's he doing here?" he asked worriedly.

"I don't know, but he looks like he could use a warm bowl of noodles and a bath," she said, looking at the cub's dirty fur and thin stomach.

Mr. Ping nodded. "Of course, of course." The party took the woman back to the shop and up the stairs, carefully laying her down on Po's old bed. Mr. Ping made quick work of giving the remaining customers their soup before closing up shop early and starting on a fresh pot of soup for Jiang.

Mrs. Cho carefully looked over the woman. She was not in good shape. She put a hot water bottle on her head to try and warm her, and wrapped her tightly in a thick, warm blanket. Jiang watched carefully, making sure the sow didn't do anything harmful to his mama.

Mrs. Cho smiled at him and wrapped him up in his own blanket. "Don't worry, little one, she's still alive. She just needs time to rest and regain her strength." He looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

"Promise?"

She nodded. "I swear to you, she will live. All it takes is time." Mr. Ping stumbled into the room, carrying a large bowl.

"Here we go! One bowl of soup for the sweet tiger cub," he said affectionately, ruffling Jiang's fur and placing the bowl in front of him. Jiang looked hungrily at the soup, before carefully picking up the porcelain spoon and scooping some of the broth into his mouth.

"How is the woman?" Ping asked, looking over the unconscious form in front of them.

She sighed. "I don't know what this girl was thinking, sleeping out in the cold, but she'll recover. It may take some time for her to awake, but she'll be alright. Do you have any evergreen? That'll wake her up in no time at all."

"Of course, it's in my medicine cabinet. I'll go get it right now." He waddled out of the room as quickly as he could.

Mrs. Cho racked her brain. _What is her name, I know that Master Tigress told me… something that has an L in it. Lian, Lotus… oh, what is that name? Lin! That's the one. _She gently patted Lin's cheek, and recited a prayer for her in her mind.

"What about Sissy?" Mrs. Cho looked back at Jiang.

"Who, love?" she asked.

"Sissy. She was really sad when we left," he said. Mr. Ping came back in, carrying a small branch that was covered in green, prickly needles.

"Here's the evergreen."

Mrs. Cho took it and began to twist the wooden part of the stick, loosening the juices. Jiang stood up and ran over to the goose, pulling on his robes.

"Where's Sissy?" he asked.

"Do you know who he's talking about?" she asked.

Mr. Ping nodded. "Master Tigress. They are very close, and she was the one who took care of him when he first came to the Jade Palace."

With a sharp snap, Mrs. Cho broke the twig, and the sap started to pool at the break. She took the piece dripping with sap and held it under Lin's nose. After a few moments, Lin's eyes opened a little, and she groaned.

"Mama!" Jiang called, climbing onto his mother's stomach. Lin lifted her head a little and rubbed her eyes.

"Jiang? Honey, are you alright?" she asked weakly.

He crawled up her body and threw his little arms around her neck. "Mama…" She immediately pulled him closer and stroked the back of his head.

"It's okay, Jiang. I'm okay."

Mr. Ping disappeared again, saying something about more soup.

Lin slowly took in her surroundings. "Where are we?" she asked.

"Among friends," Mrs. Cho said, propping up Lin's head with more pillows.

"I… I know you. You're from the dress shop."

She nodded. "Your little boy knocked on my door and told me that his mama needed help. And I must admit, it is very hard to say no to that face," she said with a chuckle. Jiang nuzzled his mother under the chin.

"Mama, I want to go see Sissy."

Lin looked at her son for a few moments. "Okay, Jiang. I'll take you to see your sissy."

"Well not until you're rested and back to health," Mrs. Cho said, pouring medicine from a glass bottle onto a spoon, and then putting the spoon into Lin's mouth.

"Of course," Lin said. She nuzzled Jiang. "Honey, I am so sorry. I should have never taken you away from the Jade Palace. Your sissy was right, you were safe there. And I put you in danger. I'm not a very good mother."

Jiang shook his head in protest. "You're the best Mama! You're my Mama."

Mrs. Cho chuckled. "Mothers are every child's hero, Ms. Lin." After a few more minutes of nuzzling and kisses, Jiang snuggled into his mother's embrace and drifted off to slumber.

"He should probably have a nice bath tomorrow. You both need one," Mrs. Cho observed.

Lin nodded, and settled her head down into the pillows. And before long, she was fast asleep, holding Jiang in her arms.

A/N: Well, at least they aren't out in the cold anymore. It made me really sad and depressed to write the last chapter. Jiang is just so cute!

I dedicate this chapter to the Commonplace Coffeehouse, because without it's quiet atmosphere, wifi, coffee, and lack of TV, this fic and many more would never be finished. I can't help it, I'm a procrastinator! I just thought it deserved the recognition for what it does to help my writing. It's also where I'll probably be writing most of my novel, if I ever start it.

As for everyone who's waiting for an update on Year of the Tiger, I'm almost finished with chapter 32, I swear! I was having some motivational problems on that story, and I wanted to focus on this one for a while, since I was so behind on it. But don't worry, me working on that won't change how often I'm updating Matriarch, I've just got to work on my multitasking problems.

And I just noticed, I have over ONE HUNDRED reviews for this story! Thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed this, and keep 'em coming! You guys are the ones who keep me writing! So review this while you're at it! Holla!


	22. Disturbing News

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 22- Disturbing News

A sudden spike of pleasant weather hit the Valley. It was considerably warmer, and the snow was able to melt almost completely. It was the first time anyone had seen grass in a long time. It was brown and dead from being packed down under snow, but it was still grass.

That didn't stop Mother Nature, though. She came back against the temperature with a vengeance, bringing a downpour of rain. Everything was soggy, but if you asked anyone they probably would have said it was better than everything freezing. Everyone was trapped indoors, though, unless they wanted to catch a cold. But sadly, some Valley residents were forced to weather the storm out of doors, and they were perfectly cold and miserable.

Zeng from crashing through the front doors of the Hall of Warriors, soaking wet. Master Shifu sighed from his spot in front of a regiment of lit candles. _Is it impossible to get a few moments of quiet for meditation in this Palace?_ "What is it, Zeng?" he sighed, standing up.

The goose quickly stood up and bowed. "Master Shifu, sir, I have a message for the Dragon Warrior!" Shifu turned and looked at the goose. Zeng waddled over as fast as he could and handed him a scroll. "The messenger said it was of the upmost importance, and for the Dragon Warrior's eyes only!"

Shifu nodded and stood up, immediately leaving his meditation to find Po. If it was a threat to the Valley, this needed to be taken care of. He pushed the scroll into his robe to stop it from getting soaked, and he ventured out into the heavy rain. It pounded hard against his back, and matted his fur to his forehead. A few times he thought he had gotten lost in the blinding downpour, but eventually he stumbled up the steps and under the roof of the training hall.

As soon as he was inside, he shook some of the water out of his eyes and looked around. His students were all training, per usual. All except one. Tigress was sitting on the floor next to the Adversary, watching her friends go through the dangerous courses. _Strange, usually by now Chen is taking the spikes off the old wood._ He shook his head, returning to the task at hand.

"PANDA!"

There was a loud yelp as Po fell off the rim of the Jade Tortoise and into the basin. "I'm okay! Just hold on a sec!" Po yelled from inside the tortoise, his voice echoing off the thick jade. The rest of the masters gathered around Master Shifu while Po clamored out of the Jade Tortoise, landing on the floor with a thump.

"I'm here!" Po huffed when he finally got out of the obstacle course, "What's up?"

Shifu took the scroll out of his robe. "This arrived for you. Apparently it's very top secret."

Po took the scroll. "It doesn't look very top secret," he commented, inspecting the outside of the scroll.

"Maybe not, but if there's a threat to the Valley, we wouldn't want to waste time, would we?" Tigress asked.

"Come on, who would attack the Valley? Tai Lung's gone, and we kicked out those bandits that were lurking around months ago. Who else is crazy enough to attack?" Mantis asked.

"How about the rest of the villains in China?" Crane asked.

"It could be those demon warriors we defeated a few years ago. They did swear vengeance, after all," Monkey reminded them.

"Oh please, they're as powerful as a little kitten."

Po opened the scroll. "Oh, cool, it's a letter from my dad!" Everyone stared at him.

"A letter… from your _father_?" Shifu asked. Po nodded. Shifu sighed and rubbed his temples, muttering under his breath as he walked away.

"What's his problem?" Po asked once Master Shifu was out of hearing range.

"Oh, the rain just makes him cranky. More than usual, anyway. So what's the letter say?" Mantis asked, hopping up on Po's shoulder. Po scanned down the calligraphy-covered page.

"Oh, no…"

"What? What is it?" Viper asked worriedly.

"It's… it's Jiang." Everyone looked at Tigress, whose pupils were dilating. She suddenly flicked her eyes between the letter and her friends.

"…What about him?" she finally asked.

"He's… he's at my dad's! And Lin too! It says that Mrs. Cho found them in the street in pretty bad shape."

"Who's Mrs. Cho?" Crane asked.

Before Po could answer, Tigress screeched, "IN THE STREET? I KNEW IT, I KNEW SHE COULDN'T TAKE CARE OF JIANG!"

"Tigress, Tigress, relax! It says that he's fine and that Lin is recovering," Po soothed, "Apparently Lin was unconscious when she was brought to my dad's." Tigress snatched the scroll out of his paws and viciously ran over it with her eyes, desperate for information on the only family she had at the moment. 

_Jiang is perfectly healthy and happy. If he's not sitting next to his mother's bed and asking, "Are you better yet?" a dozen or so times an hour, he's running about the shop, fascinating my customers. It seems as if three-fourths of the customers I get these days are there to see Jiang and coo at him. And business has never been better! Lin is not yet healthy enough to leave her bed, but she does her best to entertain Jiang when they are together. And never have I seen a more loving mother in all my years. _

Tigress crumpled up the letter and angrily threw it into the obstacle course. "Wait, what did it say?" Monkey called after her as she started for the doors. She tried to push them open and make the dramatic exit of the century, but the doors wouldn't budge. She pushed again, this time with tenfold strength, but the door still wouldn't open. She began to feel the room closing in on her. 

_And never have I seen a more loving mother._

She pushed with all her might. The doors flew open, making contact with something on the other side before they could open the whole way. "GODDAMMIT!" She looked out of the doors. Chen was propping himself up on the porch of the training hall, one paw over his nose. She rushed to his side and helped him up.

"I am so sorry, I didn't know you were out there!" she apologized, her cheeks red.

"It's alright," he said. When he took his paw away from his nose, she gasped. Ruby red blood was streaming out of it, and some of it covered his paw.

"Your nose!"

He crossed his eyes. "Huh. I guess I should have seen that coming." He pinched his nose to stop the flow.

"And you're soaking! Let me get you a blanket or something…" The rest of the masters stared at Chen as Tigress ran off, fretting about him.

"Um… this is a bit awkward," he muttered.

"What's up with you and Tigress?" Po asked. But before Chen could answer, Tigress had returned with a towel and a rag to catch the blood.

"Thank you. But you didn't have to do that," he said, covering his nose with the rag.

"I know… but I wanted to." Both of them blushed and looked away, and Mantis joined in with his normal comments.

"Aw, isn't that cute? When's the wedding?" The boys of the group snickered, but Viper rolled her eyes. However she sent a look to Tigress that clearly said, "You're telling me everything later."

"Wait, hold on, what did the letter say? About Jiang, is he alright?" she asked. Tigress' expression turned stony. "He's fine."

"Great! Are we going to go see him?" Monkey asked.

She turned away. "I don't see the point. It sounds like he's doing just fine without us." The rest of the Five exchanged glances.

"But… for weeks all you thought about was Jiang and how he was doing! And now you don't care?" Crane asked.

"I've got more important things to worry about now," she replied, lightly placing her paw on her abdomen.

Viper's eye began to twitch like Master Shifu's. "Like WHAT? You haven't even been training anymore, you just sit there and watch!" Po came back out of the obstacle course, having gone in to get the letter.

"And besides, Jiang has been asking about you," he said, looking over the paper, "It says that 'multiple times a day the little cub will tug on his mother's dress and ask when they can go and see Sissy'."

"I don't think I should make the trip down to the village," Tigress said simply.

"Why not? It's not like you've got a broken leg," Mantis said. She stuttered a few times, then just shut her mouth.

Chen lightly touched her shoulder. "Is… everything alright?" She bit her lip, then gently took his paw, pulling him back out onto the porch and closing the doors softly. The rain was still falling in harsh sheets against the ground, but the two tigers were protected by the overhanging roof. She carefully sat down, and motioned for him to sit down next to her. "Are you not going to see Jiang because you don't want to have to deal with his mother?" he asked.

She sighed. "Well, partially. But… in all honesty, I don't think that I really should go down to the village. Especially not with the rain."

Chen nodded. "No one should be out in this rain. If it weren't for my job, I wouldn't be caught dead out here."

"It's not just because it's harsh rain. I haven't been feeling quite like myself lately."

He nodded. "That's understandable."

She caught his eye, but then quickly looked away. "Chen… there's something that I haven't told you yet. That I probably should have told you much, _much_ sooner." He turned her face so that she looked him in the eyes again.

"You can tell me anything. You know that."

"I know," she said, "But this… this is a little different. A little more serious. You don't have a girlfriend, do you?"

"What?" Chen asked.

"Are you seeing someone romantically… besides me… if you can really consider the two of us a couple…"

"I'm not seeing anyone. Why? Are you… are you proposing something?" he asked.

"Sort of… Chen… I…" She trailed off, her voice too quiet for him to understand what she was saying.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

She sighed raggedly. "Do you remember that day when you came to check on me because you were worried? And then we kissed, and I pulled you into my room, and we…"

"I remember," Chen said, a light blush painting his cheeks.

"Well… if you promise me you won't hate me… I… I'm having a baby."

Chen straightened up, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Excuse me?" She closed her eyes, looking away from him.

"I'm having a baby… and the baby is yours."

There was no sound coming from either feline, only the sound of the rain pummeling the ground. Chen stared at her with wide, wild eyes. She wouldn't look at him, though. She refused to. "You're unhappy," she whispered simply.

He stuttered a few times before getting out a coherent sentence. "I… I can't believe this. You're… having my baby?" he asked.

She nodded, still without looking at him. "You don't have to worry about it. I won't tell anyone. It'll be my child, and no one will have to know that you're the father."

"Where's the honor in that?"

She finally looked up at him, confused. "If this is really my child," he explained, "Then it would be my honor to watch out for it. Now… I have a new family to worry about. And sometimes worry isn't as much of a burden as it is a joy." A small smile flashed across Tigress' face, but it disappeared almost as quickly.

"I'm sorry for getting you into all of this. I just… I want a baby. I want one so badly. And now I'm starting to think that I'm going crazy because I've never thought about children or husbands or anything of that sort. It was always about kung fu. And now having a child consumes me. It's all that I think about, and everything that I want."

"You're not crazy. What's so insane about wanting someone to love?" he asked.

She looked away again. "The thing is, I don't think I really love you." The rain started coming down harder. Chen took the towel off his shoulders and wrapped it around hers.

"I meant the baby. And maybe you don't love me. But we're in this together now, so you'll have to get used to having me around. You probably shouldn't train anymore, it might hurt the baby. How far along are you?" Tigress' paw instinctively came to rest on her stomach.

"A little less than a month. But I don't know how I'm going to hide it from the others. It won't exactly be obscure as time goes on."

He nodded. "You'll have to be honest with them. They deserve to know anyway, they are your friends." A slight creaking sound came from behind them. They turned around, to see the doors of the training hall swing open, and everyone, including Master Shifu, staring at them with eyes that looked like they were about to bust out of their sockets. Tigress bit her lip.

Chen leaned over and whispered comfortingly, "At least you don't have to worry about telling them anymore."

A/N: Bet you didn't see that coming, did you? I'm just the Queen of the Twists. And I'm sorry for the long wait, I've had stuff going on. I'll update quicker, I swear! Holla!


	23. First Month

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 23- First Month

Things immediately started to change at the Jade Palace. Tigress didn't even bother to try to go into the training hall anymore. She would just be shooed out by worried friends or a still-peeved Master.

After the complete shock of finding out that Tigress was pregnant wore away, he had attempted to kick Chen out of the Jade Palace with his staff smacking at the tiger's legs. But Tigress begged him to let him stay, and after she broke down into tears, he finally agreed. Nevertheless, he kept a sharp eye on Chen. He had heard stories of women getting pregnant out of marriage, and the men murdering the poor girls to protect their own names and honor. He refused to let that happen to Tigress.

However, Chen seemed to be adapting well to his new situation. He tried to make Tigress as comfortable as possible. He made sure she ate normal portions of healthy foods at every meal. He went with her to the doctor to make sure the baby was healthy and growing. He even started sleeping on the floor of her bedroom, in case she would need him.

The rest of the inhabitants of the Jade Palace seemed to like Chen as well, once they got to know him. He, Mantis, and Monkey would joke to no end at dinner. He would discuss calligraphy with Crane, and complemented Po on his cooking. And he would answer any question Viper had about what _exactly_ had happened between him and Tigress.

The only person he didn't seem to be connecting with was Tigress herself, even though she had insisted on his presence there. They were very distant with each other, or at least she was. Whenever he would ask her a question, even if he was just asking how her day had been, it was always a one-word answer. He wouldn't see her much during the day (he still had to work), but when he arrived at the bunkhouse or for dinner, she would barely look at him and acknowledge him. It seemed as if she didn't want him there, yet every time his presence was threatened, her face would pale and she would look worried and scared until it was certain again he would stay.

They received several more letters from Mr. Ping with more news on Jiang and Lin. Tigress wouldn't take one step towards the Valley, though. "We'll just have to wait until Lin is better," Tigress said. And that was the final word.

Tigress sat just inside the door of the bunkhouse, looking out at the scenery just out of reach to her. The temperature had lowered again, near to the freezing point, so she was forbidden by Master Shifu to leave the bunkhouse. It was too cold to snow, and she had to wrap up in a blanket to keep herself warm. There weren't any leaves on the trees, and any grass visible was brown and dead. But there was one flicker of bright color amongst all the drab.

Chen was out facing the cold, doing his work. She tried desperately to pull her eyes away, but she couldn't. He was in really good shape. His arms had just the right amount of muscle, so that he looked toned and defined without his arms bulging. He had a broad chest, square shoulders, and very nice abs. And it wasn't as if she had just noticed this. She had fully enjoyed all of these features when they were conceiving their little bundle of joy…

She shook her head. _No, don't think about that. It's behind you. Just worry about your baby now. _She rested her paw on her stomach. The bump on her stomach had grown considerably after only a month. _A baby… you're having a baby. A beautiful baby. That you can love and cherish and hold in your arms. _

She looked up at Chen again, and this time he was looking at her. She turned away, but he was already starting towards the bunkhouse. She tried to stand up, but she was hindered by her stomach, and Chen held out his paw to help her before she could make her escape. She reluctantly accepted, and slowly she was able to stand up on both feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Fine. Just fine." He nodded and smiled, resting one of his paws on her stomach. His smile grew as a few seconds passed. Then when he noticed her staring at him, he removed his paw.

"Sorry. I'm still not used to the idea that I'm going to be a baba. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's alright. It's your child too." He locked eyes with her, and she couldn't pull away from his gaze.

"Po got another letter from his father. Apparently Jiang is really eager to see you."

She finally looked away. "I wish I could see him too." He stared at her with a confused expression for a few moments. Then he took her paw and helped her up, then started pulling her towards the heavy front doors of the Jade Palace.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Down to the village. You need to see Jiang."

She worked her paw out of his. "I'm not going. I shouldn't. It might be bad for the baby."

He took her paw again. "You know, most medical professionals these days actually are encouraging pregnant women to exercise. Come on. This will be good for you." He pushed open the doors and pulled her outside.

"But what about Master Shifu? He'll be wondering where we are," she said.

"Don't worry about it. If he gives us any trouble, I'll take the heat, alright?"

She continued to protest and rattled off excuses as they continued down the stairs, but Chen came up with a counter-excuse every time. By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, Tigress was at the last excuse she could think of. "I'm too fat," she whispered.

He smiled and put a paw on the bump on her stomach. "It's okay. You're pregnant. You're supposed to gain weight. When the baby is born, you'll lose it. It's not that noticeable anyway. You'll be fine."

She put her paw over his and looked up into his eyes, pleading, "I don't want to do this."

He looked into her eyes. The fiery orbs weren't angry. They were desperate and worried and frightened. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. "I know. But it needs to be done. You have no reason to be scared. I'll be right there with you."

Slowly, she returned the embrace, burying her face into the fabric of his shirt. "You promise?"

He nodded and whispered in her ear, "Of course. I'm not going to abandon you, Tigress."

Her arms tightened around him for a moment, then loosened. She let go of him and took a deep breath to brace herself. "Alright. Let's go." He smiled and took her hand, leading her down the street. Tigress kept flicking her eyes at people, then looking away before they could notice her watching them.

"What's wrong?" Chen asked.

"They can tell, I know they can," she whispered.

He squeezed her hand. "If you don't draw attention to yourself, no one will pay any mind to you. Just relax."

She nodded and let him lead her to Mr. Ping's shop. As soon as the aging goose saw them, his eyes brightened. "Master Tigress! I'm so glad you're here! Young Jiang has just been asking and asking about you! Do you want to see him? What am I saying, of course you do! I'll take you to him!" Mr. Ping started up the stairs, and Chen gently nudged Tigress until she followed him.

They went up to the top floor, and Mr. Ping knocked on the door. Lin's soft voice drifted out. "Come in!" He opened the door and stepped out of the way so that Tigress could enter. She saw Lin first, and both women were surprised to be meeting face to face. But Tigress' focus didn't stay on her for long.

"SISSY!"

Before another second could pass, Jiang had his arms wrapped tightly around Tigress' leg. Without another thought, Tigress scooped Jiang into her arms and hugged him tightly, rubbing his cheek against hers, and wouldn't let go for a very long time.

A/N: Okay, just to clear one thing up, I looked up the gestation period for tigers up on the internet, and found out that they're only pregnant for about four months. So I'm going to go with that for how long she's going to be pregnant. 'Kay? Remember to drop me a review! Holla!


	24. Heart to Heart

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 24- Heart to Heart

Tigress watched Jiang as he played with his favorite rubber ball in Po's old room. She was smiling again—the little cub was always able to get a smile out of her without trying. Lin was downstairs, finally able to stand steadily on her own two feet, helping in the shop.

Jiang stopped playing and ran over to her, collapsing in her arms. She laughed. "What are you doing, sweetheart?" she asked playfully. He placed a small paw on her growing stomach.

"Sissy, why is your tummy so big? It was a lot smaller last time." Tigress felt a flush of shame. How was she supposed to explain to a three-year-old that she had gotten pregnant out of marriage? What if it had negative effects on him? Like what if he thought when he was older it would be okay to do the same thing? _Just be honest. Jiang is three, it's not like he'll understand how the baby was literally conceived… and if he asks where babies come from, just say the stork drops them on your doorstep._

She sighed. "Well, Jiang, my tummy is big because something is growing in there," she said, trying to explain it in a way he would understand.

He gasped. "Did you swallow a watermelon seed on accident?" She almost burst out laughing. Jiang was still the same—so sweet and innocent and naïve. She ruffled the fur on top of his head.

"No, sweetheart. I'm having a baby. My tummy is getting bigger so that my baby can grow too."

Jiang's eyes grew wide. "Oh. Can I see it? Please?" She laughed.

"No, honey, not for about three more months. Then you can see it. I promise." He pouted a little, but settled down for a nap after a while. Tigress smiled as she watched his sleeping form. He looked peaceful. He always looked peaceful when he slept. She had noticed it from the first time she had seen him laying still in her arms, being carried up to the Jade Palace. She hoped and prayed that her baby looked this peaceful when he (or she) slept.

"I want to congratulate you."

Tigress turned around to see Lin standing in the doorway. She came into the room. "Chen told me that you were with child. But don't worry, he was very quiet about it." Tigress put a paw to her stomach unconsciously. Lin sat down next to her. "It's a little overwhelming, isn't it? The fact that something is inside you and is depending on you for life. I was scared to death during most of my pregnancy that I would do something to harm the baby. But everything turned out just fine in the end," she said, gently scratching Jiang behind the ear. He purred in his sleep and nuzzled into his mother's paw.

Tigress didn't say anything. "How far along are you?" Lin asked, staring at the bump.

"It would be very helpful if you would stop staring at me like that," Tigress snapped. She stood up, with some difficulty, and turned her back to Lin.

"Well what did you expect? For no one to notice?" Lin asked, burning holes into Tigress' back, "You do know that people are going to find out sooner or later, right?"

"Of course I know! But I don't appreciate being looked at as if I were some harlot."

"I never said you were a harlot. I'm trying to be nice, and supportive. It's not easy being an expectant mother. I know. I've been through it too. But there are going to be some people who look down on you because you're having a baby out of marriage. Some idiots will have the audacity to call your child a bastard, and since you're famous, it'll be even worse for you," Lin pointed out.

"You know, for someone who is such an angelic woman, you know a lot about this. Is Jiang a love child? Were you ever even married to this 'Hao' guy? Or is everything you've told me a lie?" Tigress accused.

Lin's eyes became sharp and cold. "Jiang is _not_ a love child. Hao _is_ my husband. But I've known a lot of women in this situation, and most of them have to be talked out of suicide! I'm just trying to let you know that I'm on your side! Jiang loves you… and I don't want to be fighting with you all the time. Why do you always have to pick a fight all the time?"

Tigress crossed her arms over her chest. "I do not always pick a fight."

"Yes, you do! Every time I disagree with your point of view, you start this huge argument. It's practically a battle; you never show me any mercy. I just wanted my son, and to bring him home!"

"To an abusive father? I don't think so! This may not have occurred to you yet, but Jiang means something to me and everyone else at the Jade Palace. We care about him, and we don't ever want to see him hurt like he was when we found him!" Lin clenched her teeth.

"You're wrong," she seethed, "You're wrong about Hao! He's a good man! And a loving father! You don't know him!"

A scared cry came from the bundle of blankets on the bed. Jiang disentangled himself from the sheets and ran to his mother, wrapping his arms around her leg. "No! NO FIGHTING!" He started to sob.

Lin picked him up and started rocking him. "There, there, it's okay. No need for tears, love…"

He sniffled. "No! You always fight! I hate it! Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!" He wriggled out of her arms and went back under the blankets. His sobs were still audible, but muffled slightly. Tigress sighed, then went over to the bed and scooped up the bundles of bedclothes, with Jiang inside.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I promise I won't fight anymore. Will you forgive me?" Jiang squirmed in the blankets, and peeked through them, just enough to see an eye and an ear.

"Promise?"

She nodded, pushing away the blanket to reveal the rest of his head. "I promise. I don't ever want to make you unhappy, sweetie." He nodded his satisfaction.

"Jiang, why don't you go downstairs to play? Mr. Ping is down there, and I bet he would love to play a game," Lin offered, picking up the ball and handing it to him. He nodded again, and Tigress set him down on the floor. He immediately ran off. Both women smiled after him, but Lin grew serious again.

"He loves you, you know." Tigress looked up at her, confused.

"Chen. You should see him talk about you—the way his eyes shine and the way he smiles. But… you don't love him, do you?" she asked quietly.

Tigress looked away. "I never said I didn't."

"You don't have to. What's the purpose of leading him on like this? He'll only get hurt."

"I'm not leading him on! He's the father of my child, doesn't he have a right to be there when I give birth?" Tigress asked angrily.

"I didn't ask about the birthing. What's going to happen to Chen after the baby is born? Are you two going to get married? Is he going to leave the Valley and never be allowed to return? What's your plan for raising this child?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Tigress' chest was heaving, and her eyes were slightly red. She began to shake. "Why are you asking me these questions? You already know I don't have answers for them!"

Lin sighed. "It isn't as easy as you thought it would be, is it? Having a baby isn't the same as taking in a toddler and looking after it. A baby depends on you to survive. A baby can't walk on its own, it can't go and find food if you're not around to feed it, it can't go to the bathroom on its own… there's a lot of responsibilities, and no one else is going to take care of them for you. And unless you're completely ready and willing to take on those responsibilities, I suggest either you get ready or you put the baby up for adoption."

Tigress grit her teeth. "I will never, _ever_ abandon my child in an orphanage so it can suffer!"

"Fine. That's your choice, and none of my business. But if I were you I'd start planning out this child's future, or I can guarantee it will be miserable, no matter what."

Tigress glared at Lin through her tears. "Why do you hate me so much? Why are you doing this to me?"she asked. She had tried to make her voice sound as angry as possible, but it sounded more weak and helpless than intimidating.

Lin helped Tigress to sit down. "I don't hate you. I'm just trying to make you see what's in store. Not everything is as peaches and cream as it may seem." She wiped away some of Tigress' tears, and smiled a little.

"But you are so lucky. You have all your friends and your kung fu master for support. I was nearly hysterical on the night I gave birth. I would have given anything to have my family there with me. I can guarantee your friends will be there every step of the way. And the father is helping too! That's far more than most pregnant, unmarried girls can say. Usually after the man finds out, he takes off and never makes contact with the girl again. But Chen is here, and he wants to help you. Everyone is on your side, Tigress. Including me. Don't push us away because you're scared or you're too proud to accept help. Trust me, you'll need as much of it as you can get."

Tigress nodded and leaned on Lin, who gently patted her arm. "You'll be fine. You'll get through this."

"I don't know if I can…" Tigress admitted.

"You can. And you will. And… if you are as good a mother to your own child as you were to someone else's, then you will have nothing to worry about."

Tigress smiled a little.

A/N: Yayy, I finally updated! Sorry that this took so long. I'm sort of getting into this procrastination funk. But don't worry, I won't give up! I've just been so busy... preparations for my high school's musical next year are already going underway (we're trying to decide what musical; this year was Beauty and the Beast, and I want to do Into the Woods next year), and I'm also scooping frozen desserts for the Drama Club sometime this month... gah! I have to work! But enough of my whining. I hope you enjoyed, and remember to review!!! Holla!


	25. Connections

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 25- Connections

Tigress fidgeted. _This is not a good idea. This is most definitely not a good idea._

"Tigress, you look great. Chen won't know what hit him," Viper encouraged.

Tigress looked at herself in her hand mirror. She was forced to wear a dress now, mostly because it was the only thing that fit her at the moment. Some clothes were being made for her so that she could be as comfortable as possible during the rest of her pregnancy, but she hated the dress. She wished she could wear her normal clothes, but Master Shifu had forbidden it. He was already taking to the role of grandfather, and took every precaution to make sure that the baby was safe and sound.

"I look pregnant," Tigress said, putting her paws on her stomach. It had grown larger day by day, and she was getting towards the middle of her second month.

"You are pregnant," Viper countered, "There's no denying that anymore. But for a pregnant woman, you look great."

Tigress nodded. A twinge of doubt spread through her. "Viper?" "Yeah?" "Do you… think less of me now?" she asked quietly.

Viper glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"I got pregnant out of marriage. Most women would be whispering about it with her other friends about what a scandal it is. Do you respect me less now that I'm pregnant with Chen's baby?"

Viper's eyes widened. "What? Why would you think I would do that? Tigress, we've been friends forever. I'm with you until the end." Tigress smiled and in a moment of blind affection and appreciation, hugged her friend.

"Thank you. I know I try to hide it, but… this has been really hard on me. I feel like I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

Viper shook her head. "Tigress, how could you know what you're doing? You've never been pregnant before. No one at the Jade Palace ever has been. It will take some getting used to, but I think you'll be a great mother."

Tigress nodded, looking off into the distance. "I hope so." Viper lightly tapped her on the arm.

"There he is! Go over there," she hissed. Tigress looked over to Chen. He was dressed more nicely than usual, and his fur had been combed out. She took a bracing deep breath, and walked over towards him. A smile lit up his face when he saw her. She felt her cheeks heat up and was thankful that she had fur to hide the redness flushing across her face.

Once he was close enough, he whispered into her ear, "You look beautiful."

She smiled a little. "Thank you. You look nice too."

He offered his arm out to her. "Shall we?" She nodded. It had been her idea that they go out for a walk (_not_ a date, as she explained to Viper later) to get to know each other a little better. Chen had agreed rather enthusiastically, saying he knew the perfect spot.

Now Tigress wished the thought had never occurred to her, let alone that she said anything about it to anyone but herself. _Lin said you needed a plan… oh, why did I start listening to her?_ Tigress sighed lightly.

"Are you alright?" Chen asked. She nodded, but still said nothing.

It got awkward rather quickly. Tigress didn't really know what to say, and Chen didn't seem to either. She felt slightly sick to the stomach. She blurted out, "I'm sorry." Chen looked at her.

"What?"

"I'm sorry for dragging you out here. This was a really bad idea, I don't know what I was thinking," she explained apologetically.

He smiled softly. "Don't be sorry. I like spending time with you. I don't really know you that well, but you're very… fascinating to me. And I mean that in a good way! You're an interesting person, I guess is what I'm trying to say… or maybe I don't know what I'm trying to say at all. I just don't want to mess things up right now, and sometimes I tend to do that in tender situations. I hope you don't think I'm a complete idiot for saying all this, too—"

"I don't think you're an idiot. I think it's sweet," she said. He chuckled a little.

"We're really getting to know each other well, aren't we?" he asked sarcastically, trying to make a joke.

She smiled at the attempt. "There's not really much to me, anyway. Kung fu has been my whole life since childhood. I pretty much eat, sleep, and breathe it. You've picked a very boring person to have a baby with."

"I'm just as boring, I assure you. But at least you've done something with your life. I'm just a guy, working from day to day so I can eat," he pointed out.

"It's not as glamourous of a life as it seems to be, though. It can be very stressful at times."

He was silent for a few moments. "We really need lives," he noted. She laughed and agreed.

"We do. But at least you have a job to keep yourself occupied. For the past week I've been sitting in my room doing nothing. I can't do anything that's physically strenuous. I'm too scared that I'll have a miscarriage." He gently took her paw and squeezed.

"You'll be fine. This child is very lucky. He has a mother who cares."

Tigress felt herself blushing again. She smirked a little. "Who says it's going to be a boy? Maybe I want a girl."

"Girls are nice too."

"But let me guess, you want a boy so that you can continue on your family name," she said with a slightly sour note to her voice. He took a step towards her, getting a little closer than she was comfortable with. He was still holding tightly onto her paw.

"You're too quick to judge, Master Tigress," he whispered. She got the shy feeling he always gave her for the first time since she had told him she was pregnant. She tried to swallow the butterflies.

"I'm not judging you. Mostly what men care about in the way of having children is the gender. How am I supposed to distinguish you from any other man in China?"

He got closer. "Master Tigress, I don't care if we have a boy or a girl. Whatever makes you happy is what I want." She held his gaze.

"Don't call me Master. Just call me Tigress. Please." He nodded.

"Do you love me?" she blurted out. He looked at her uncertainly. "Um… Lin mentioned a few days ago that she thinks you love me. I don't know if it's true, but I've been wondering for the past few days if you do…"

"Oh."

Tigress' heart sunk. "I understand if you don't. I wouldn't expect you to. I'm surprised you even want me around."

"Why wouldn't I want you around?" he asked.

"Well, I'm completely uptight, obsessed, and extremely competitive. Just to name a few."

He shrugged. "You had a rough time when you were a kid. It's not like there's much you could have done about that."

"You know about my childhood?" she asked.

He smiled sheepishly. "I… may have asked Master Viper about you a little. I don't really know you well; I just wanted to get a picture of who you are. I wasn't trying to dig into your privacy or anything, I promise," he explained earnestly.

"I understand. But since you're already filled in about me, what about you? There must be some interesting story from your youth," she said.

"Not really," he said, shaking his head, "My life has been pretty boring since birth. It's nowhere near as exciting as yours."

"How did you come to the Jade Palace?" she asked.

He grinned, taking a mental note that she didn't like to leave a subject hanging in the air. "Well, I used to live in the south, in Guangdong, with my parents. When I came of age they pretty much shoved me out the door and wished me luck before slamming the door in my face."

Tigress had a horrified expression, but he explained. "It's not because they were unloving parents, they just wanted me to find my own way; to be independent, and not rely on others to live. I made my way to the Valley, and then basically went through every job this place had to offer before I started my first carpentry job. I built up my skills, and pretty soon I was sent up at the Jade Palace to be a repair man."

He smirked. "They told me it wasn't as good of a job opportunity as I thought because there was always something to be fixed. Apparently that Master Tigress could go through an entire forest of wood in training equipment in a month."

Tigress blushed and softly whispered, "Sorry." He grinned at her.

"Don't be sorry. When I first started, I couldn't get enough of the work. It was great for the guys who had been working here for years and years, since they hated doing all the stuff I was willing to do."

"What were your mother and father like?" she asked suddenly.

"Um… well, my mother, she… she liked to sew… and my father…"

Tigress stopped. "Do you not remember them well?"

"It's not that I don't remember them, I just haven't thought about them in a while. Quite a while, now that I think about it," he explained.

She was quiet for a few moments, looking ahead of her with a sad, misty gleam to her eyes. "I don't remember my parents. The only thing I remember was living in Bao Gu. Then Shifu came and got me, and I lived here since. It's not as exciting of a story as you think it is. A lot has been romanticized," she said solemnly.

"Do you think they're still out there?" he asked quietly.

"I hope not. If they are… I don't think I would be able to keep living as I am knowing that no one truly wanted me."

"You don't know that they didn't want you. Maybe they couldn't take care of you properly. It could have been to save you," he pointed out, trying to comfort her. She looked him straight in the eyes.

"Then why didn't they come back for me? Didn't they recognize their own daughter? There are portraits of me all over China! Why didn't they come back? At least to let me see my own family!"

She didn't cry. There weren't any tears rising. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. He didn't know what else to say. He gently put a paw on her shoulder blade and drew her into his arms. She hugged him back, gripping tightly on his shirt and burying her face into his chest. He felt a little moisture soak into his clothes, but didn't say anything about it. He knew she was ashamed to cry, even about something she had every right to be emotional about. It was just the way she had been taught.

"It's okay… they don't deserve to know you if they abandoned you like that," he whispered. She lifted her face up to look at him. There weren't any streaks from tears, and her eyes weren't red. She had taught herself well.

"Then why do I feel ashamed about it?"

He ran a paw across her cheek. "Sometimes, people… people just do that. It's horrible, and they shouldn't, but the only thing you can do about it is to try and forget. If you think about it, you'll feel bad. There's not much more to do."

"I can't just forget about my past! There are too many questions I need answers to! Things I need to know… things I should have known all my life!" she yelled, turning away from him.

He sighed and ran a paw through the fur on his head. "Tigress, there isn't much more I can do for you. I can give you what little advice I have, but not much more than that. You know that if you need someone to talk to, or cry to, I'll be there. The rest is up to you though. I can't make you forget, or remember, or know what to do. I would if I could… but I can't."

She didn't move.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could do more. If I could give you the answers you want, I would. I would do anything to make you happy."

"You're just saying that." Her voice had cracked. He shook his head, but remembered that she couldn't see him.

"No. I'm really not. You're so important to me now. A month or two ago, I was surprised if you even acknowledged me, but now you're a part of my life. I worry about you, I think about you constantly, I wonder what you're doing during odd parts of the day… you mean something to me now. You mean a lot to me now. And I hate to see you like this."

He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "But I do love to see you smile." She stiffened when she felt him close again. "I remember one night after I was done with work, I came into check on you, and you were already asleep… you were smiling. And you were so beautiful," he whispered.

He heard her breath catch in her throat. Without command from his mind, his paw went down to her hip and rested there, pulling her slightly closer. She spoke again. Her voice was choked up.

"Chen…"

"Hmm?" He buried his nose into the fur on her neck. She smelled sweet.

"Chen, wait…" He shook his head. A warm feeling spread through his stomach. This felt so nice…

"Chen, the baby just kicked."

Chen stood there, motionless for a few moments.

He looked at her. "What?"

Tigress' paws were on her stomach, and a bright smile had appeared on her face. "The baby kicked! I felt it!" She took the paw at her hip and placed it on the bump. Surely enough, Chen felt a strong kick against his paw.

He grinned. "The baby kicked," he said breathlessly.

She nodded excitedly. He hugged her, keeping one paw firmly against her stomach. "Gods, Tigress, I love you."

Shaken out of her reverie by his sudden proclamation, she looked up at him. "You do? Really?"

He nodded. "I… I know we haven't known each other personally for very long, but there's just something about you. And it feels right. Like it was meant to be. I'm not expecting you to say it back yet if you're not ready, but I know how I feel and I'm not going to keep it to myself any longer. I love you." He let go of a breath. "It felt really good to say that."

Tigress found herself smiling. "I… I've never had anyone love me before."

He chuckled. "That you know of. If you walked into the village, pregnant or not, and asked if anyone would like to go on a date with you, you'd get more men than you can handle."

"Maybe so, but those are just crushes, or because I'm famous. I've never had anyone truly be in love with me before."

He smiled softly and lifted her paw up, kissing it softly. "Then I am truly honored to be the first." She smiled back at him.

"You're so sweet. But you're right—we don't know each other, do we?" He shook his head.

"That was the point of this walk, though, right? So we could get to know each other." He bowed to her. "I'm Chen. It's absolutely wonderful to meet you."

She laughed and shook his paw. "I'm Tigress. The feeling is mutual." They both laughed.

"So… you're a kung fu master, right? How's that treating you?" he asked, offering her his arm. She accepted it.

"Pretty good, but I think I'm going to be taking a break from it for a while…"

They went off together, walking through a grassy lane lined with blossoming cherry trees.

A/N: Finally, finally, FINALLY, I updated! I am so sorry for the long wait, this chapter was a pain in the butt to write, and I hope it doesn't suck as much as I think it does. I promise to be more speedy in updating. Stuff has just been crazy because I have finals, and tons of work, and a life that get in the way of writing fanfiction. But I'll have a new chapter soon! Please leave a review! Holla!


	26. A Distant Memory

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 26- A Distant Memory

One day he woke up in the middle of the night to shouts, screams, and crying children.

She had already awoken in bed next to him, his arm tightly. She asked him what was going on, and told him she was scared. He gave her a soft hug and told her everything would be alright. As quickly as he could, he got out of bed, dressed, and very reluctantly grabbed his deceased father's sword before opening the cottage door.

Outside was complete chaos. Houses were burning, fields were being set on fire, frightened villagers were running for their lives, and bandits were going after them, cursing and taunting the innocent people. It wasn't long before one of the rogues was coming towards him, snickering evilly. He had never fought a day in his life, and had no wish to do so. He didn't need to, either.

The village's governor came from behind and stabbed the bandit right through the heart with a dagger. "There isn't much time," the governor told him, "There are many men already injured, and they need you. Go and take care of the wounded, we can handle ourselves."

Without thinking, he nodded and ran in the direction the governor told him. Many of the wounded men were in bad shape, with deep gashes and stab wounds that would have taken a long time to heal, even with the proper conditions. And even with these possibly fatal wounds, many of them urged him to move on to someone else, which needed his attention more than they did. He did the best he could with limited means, and he knew some of them would not live to see the sunrise the next morning.

Pretty soon mothers with children started arriving, who were either close to collapse from all the stress and fear, or were wounded, having tried to take up the fight and compensate for their fallen husbands, brothers, fathers, uncles, and nephews.

It hit him like a brick to the head. He had left her. She was still in the cottage. The bandits might have gotten to her already… and their one-year-old son was with her. He left the people still in need of treatment to a few of the sturdier women, and ran as fast as his legs would take him back to the village. At first, it was a little scary. The streets and houses that had once been riddled with bandits were empty, and everything was quiet.

"MAMA!"

He turned toward the noise, and immediately ran toward it. He found himself back at the cottage. She had her back against the wall, her eyes wide with fear, and their son clutched closely to her chest. He was crying, with big wet tears running down his cheeks. His heart stopped in his chest. He drew his father's sword, and trying to sound as menacing as he could, he yelled, "Leave her alone!"

The bandits turned away from her and looked at him. The biggest of them chuckled and came towards him. "Well, well, well, it looks like this place has a hero, doesn't it? Let me tell you something—we don't like heroes."

The others voiced their agreements and started for him. She had a look of complete terror on her face. He waited until all of them were far enough away from her, then yelled, "LIN, RUN!" She looked at him, and then took off with Jiang still in her arms. Jiang was still crying. Hao sent a silent prayer to the gods for their safety.

The big bandit glared at him murderously. "Go after the woman! I want her in my tent by morning." About half of his men obliged, the other half staying to give him backup. Hao was enraged now. He could tell what the leader's intentions were. He would never let that happen to Lin, though. He loved her, and he would never let any harm come to her.

The bandits were closing in on him, slowly surrounding him and cutting off escape routes. The leader was closest to him. He chuckled. "Bad move, stripy. One way or another, that woman is mine. If you hadn't decided to get in my way, you might have been able to live. Doubtful, but possible. But now you've sealed your fate!"

He swung his sword at Hao's legs. Hao backed up enough not to get slashed by the blade, but he could feel a few hairs being chopped off. His heart was pumping now. He had never fought a day in his life—he was supposed to help heal people, not injure them. How could he even begin to know what to do? The hog burst out laughing. "Look at 'im, boys! He's shaking in his fur!"

It was true. Hao's hands were shaking as he held the sword. He gulped. "G-get back! I'll kill all of you if I have to!"

"Oh, look who's pretending to have a backbone! Face it, you don't have the guts to take a life," the leader jeered.

"That's not true," Hao said angrily, "I have the honor to resist using violence." The swine growled.

"This makes you feel powerful, doesn't it?" Hao asked.

"Shut up and stand still!" A jab was aimed right for the tiger's heart, but he dodged it.

"Well what you're doing doesn't make you powerful. All it does is destroy lives. Does that make you feel good about yourself, knowing that you've orphaned toddlers and widowed good, respectable women?" This time, when the pig took a swing at Hao, he used his sword to block it.

"You're trying my patience," the leader snapped, still trying to get his sword into the tiger. Hao was getting the hang of this now. He easily blocked each of the hog's swings, each strike ending with the heavy clang of metal against metal. Just as Hao was about to gain the upper ground in the battle, the leader delivered a fatal blow.

"I can't wait to have that woman in my tent—it's been a while since I've had any real fun in there." Hao stood stalk still for a moment. The hog used this time to give Hao a long gash down his arm. Taken by surprise, Hao clutched at the wound and fell to his knees. The pig laughed sardonically. "Not so high and mighty now, are you? I can't wait to see the look on your face as the blood drains from your veins."

His sword was poised over Hao's chest, ready to strike, when a throaty voice called out, "BOSS!" The leader turned around and saw his men coming towards them, with Lin in tow. Jiang was not with her. They pushed Lin to the leader.

"Got her, boss."

Hao caught Lin's eye. She had a fear in her eyes that he had never seen before. Her eyes were usually warm and loving, but these eyes looked like they had never known love. She tried to run over to him, but the leader grabbed her and held her back.

"Now, now, no need to get scared. We're not going to hurt you. Unless you decide to disobey, that is."

Lin tried frantically to free herself. "Let me go! We've done nothing to you!"

"Maybe you haven't, but the man over there has. We were just minding our own business, doing our jobs, when he comes stomping over trying to take our heads off!" His minions snickered. Lin was still trying to get over to her husband. The leader sighed. "Look at this. Young love. Such a beautiful thing, isn't it? Why don't we let the lovely lady have one more goodbye before she starts her new life?"

He pushed Lin into Hao's waiting arms. The first thing she whispered into his ear was, "Jiang is safe." A little bit of the worry lifted off his chest. At least his son was alright—was still alive.

"I'll get you out of here. We'll find a new home and everything will be as it should be," he whispered back.

"Hao, no! They'll go after us. Just go and get Jiang and get out of here. I'll be alright, and I'll find a way to get back to you."

He stared into her blazing eyes. "I won't leave you behind." He tilted her face up and soundly kissed her. A round of cat-calls and jeers came from the bandits, who were encircling closer around the tigers, but neither Hao nor Lin could hear them. The kiss ended all too quickly, and Lin looked up at him with sparkling eyes. There they were; those gorgeous, blazing eyes that he fell in love with. It was like nothing else in the world mattered at that moment.

"Alright, times up!" The moment was shattered as Lin was ripped from Hao's arms and back into the grips of the bandits. Before she could put up too much of a struggle, they bound her hands behind her back and tied her ankles together. The leader of the bandits smirked. "Thanks. I owe you one. It would have taken me much longer to find a wife on my own."

Something sharp hit him on the back of the head, and he felt a warm flush spread over the area. Then everything went black.

* * *

When he awoke, he was immediately greeted with a sharp pain to the head. He groaned and reached for the spot, but a hoof held him back. It was the governor. "Trust me, Hao, you're better off not messing with it." Hao opened his eyes, and slowly the pig came into view. He smiled. "Good to see you awake. We were getting a little worried."

Hao bolted up. "Lin! They had her! The bandits! Where is she?"

The governor looked to the ground. "Hao, I…I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but… Lin was carried off with them. We tried to get her back, but there were too many of them, and we were still weak," he explained. For a moment, Hao felt no heartbeat in his chest. She had promised him she would be safe.

"No…No! You're lying! Where is she?" The pig didn't say anything more. "Then what about Jiang? Lin said he was safe, or is he in his grave before his father had a chance?" Hao asked. The look on the hog's face lightened a little, and he called to someone. A few moments later, his wife came forward, carrying the little tiger in her arms. He was crying his eyes out, and screaming for his mother.

Hao immediately held out his arms, and she nestled Jiang into his embrace. "Shh, everything's alright, Jiang, don't be scared…" he whispered. The little boy started to calm down, burying his face into his father's shirt.

"W-where's…Mama?" Jiang cried.

Hao was silent for a moment. He couldn't tell his son the truth. He was still too little to truly understand the situation. He sighed raggedly. "Mama had to go away for a while…"

From the moment he uttered those words, everything changed. The village built itself up again, but Hao was never quite the same. If asked before that night, most people would say nothing but good words about the tiger. He was kind-hearted, good to his wife, and doting on his only child. Something inside Hao had been deformed by Lin's absence. He was only a shadow of the man he once was.

Most who had been faithful friends to him still admired him. Did the perpetual mourning he was exhibiting for his wife not show his loyalty? At one point, though, everyone had to put personal preferences aside for practicality. With Lin gone, Hao had no reason to get up in the morning. He no longer had the zeal for his work that he once did. Most days he just lay quietly in his room, only coming out to make sure that Jiang was taken care of. After a while, he even stopped doing that.

A neighbor took pity on the boy and had his wife stay with Jiang during the day hours to make sure he was fed and bathed. Many of Hao's friends worried for him. The governor of the village begged him to stop wallowing long enough to at least start paying attention to his son again. Hao refused, asking angrily of the governor if he had ever lost a woman he truly loved and was willing to die for.

He kept mumbling that he could have saved her…if only he had been quicker…

Things didn't get truly bad until a month after the attack. When the neighbor's wife came to the house to be with Jiang, the door was locked, and the windows barred shut. The house stayed as silent as a ghost for days. People started to avoid it, thinking that a demon had taken control of Hao and that maybe if they got too close, the evil spirit would bring them bad luck. Soon Hao and Jiang were all but forgotten.

No one was there to listen when enraged yelling filled the house, or hours later, when the gentle cries of a child were the only sound in the ever-darkening night...

...The only signs that anyone still lived in that house was the yelling and crying each night, and the growing pile of empty rice wine bottles littering the grass around it.


	27. A Helping Paw

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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Chapter 27- A Helping Paw

It is effective to say that the Jade Palace and the village below are different worlds.

Separated by a steep slope of stairs and altitude, it was very difficult to communicate between the two places. Of course there were messengers to carry news to the residents on the Jade Mountain if need be, but they couldn't be everywhere at once. And the world of the Jade Palace was a mystery of closed doors to the people of the village. This was how Tigress managed to keep her pregnancy a secret from most. After her belly had grown big with child, and no longer looked like she had just gained weight, she stopped making trips to the Valley.

However, the communication barrier was also working against her. Mostly the everyday problems and disputes of the Valley were taken care of by the villagers themselves. If they didn't think that a disturbance of the tranquility was important enough to notify the Jade Palace about, usually Master Shifu never heard about it. So if a petty theft was committed, but the thief caught and punished, no one thought twice about it. There were domestic disturbances everyday that everyone was used to. Thieves, fights, drunks…

They were all dealt with privately.

"I HATE THIS GODDAMNED PLACE!"

A loud crash resonated through the area, and dozens of apricots rolled out into the open road, overturning a few passing carts in the process. A man stumbled into the street, stepping on the apricots as he went. He didn't seem fazed by it. His eyes were a bleary red, and he couldn't walk in a straight line.

The mothers with their children shook their heads at the man before hurrying their children away. The other men in the area eyed him suspiciously. The owner of the apricots stormed over and grabbed the drunk's wrist. "I hope you can pay for the merchandise you damaged," he scolded sternly.

The man wrenched his arm away from the man. "Back off, ya sonofabitch! I'll pay for whatever I feel like!"

Some of the women gasped at his vulgarity. The shopkeeper rolled his eyes. "There's no need to make a fuss. You can stay at my shop until you sober up, then we'll discuss the apricots." The drunk ended up putting up quite a struggle.

"Get yer hands off'a me; I can walk on my own two damn feet!"

A few of the men who had watched the scene came over and eventually got the man under control enough to get him into a small open-air tent, filled with produce. The shopkeeper laid the drunk down and put a bag of apples underneath his head. "Stay there for now."

The drunk tried to get up. "I don' have to listen to you! I-I can take care of myshelf!" he said, slurring badly.

The shopkeeper paid him no mind, and went to attend to a customer. After twenty minutes more of yelling at no one, the drunk passed out. The shopkeeper shook his head. "The poor man. He probably doesn't even know what he's doing to himself." The day continued on as usual, except that every single customer that came to the produce tent asked about the drunk, and had a long talk with the shopkeeper what a shame it was, what some men were willing to succumb to.

Around noon, the drunk woke up. He squinted and asked, "Who put this light in front of my face?" His voice was harsh. It was quieter than that of a normal man. He immediately brought his paw up to his head. "Who hit me with a sledge hammer?"

The shopkeeper smiled a little. "There's no light and no one hit you. You had a bit too much to drink." The drunk clapped his paws over his ears.

"Not so loud! I can hear you without screaming!" The shopkeeper nodded, and went to talk to a customer. The drunk's teeth grated together roughly. Every noise seemed to be amplified by 1000. His head felt like it was about to split open. _Man, I could use another drink. Think the bird has any choujiu? _He started looking around for it.

The shopkeeper noticed and asked, "Do you need something?"

"Got anything to drink in this stand?" the drunk asked.

The goose frowned. "Even if I did, you wouldn't be getting any. Not after making that much of a scene as a drunk." The drunk growled.

"Don't get in my way, feather-brains. I can drink all the fucking alcohol I want."

"Not anymore. You're under my care now, and you'll be going sober for as long as you're here. And watch your mouth. There are women and children here."

The drunk stood up swiftly. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do! I'm a grown man, aren't I?" He stumbled, and fell back to the floor.

The shopkeeper shook his head. "A grown man that's acting like a child."

The drunk didn't respond except to glare murderously and clutch his head.

"Excuse me."

The shopkeeper realized that he had left his customer standing there. "Oh! Forgive me, sir. What was it you were looking to buy again?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about him," the customer said, pointing to the drunk.

The goose glanced back at the drunk. "What about him?"

"I'm a doctor, and if you need someone to take care of him, I can help." The shopkeeper smiled.

"That would be so nice of you. He's been pitching a fit ever since he woke up, and I need to run an errand." The goose let the man in and went off into the market. The man looked over his patient and clucked his tongue.

"You're really drunk, aren't you?"

The drunk looked up at him with bleary eyes. "What do you think? I'm lying in the dirt using some fruit for a pillow."

"You probably have a skull-splitting headache."

"It's more like someone's slamming a hoe into my brain."

"And your throat is dry?"

"Like the Gobi."

"And you're still wishing you had more alcohol."

The drunk looked up at him. "I'm guessing you deal with losers like me a lot." The man knelt down next to him and gave him a cup of water.

"Just because you have a drinking problem doesn't mean you've failed life. As long as you have a pulse, you can still make something out of yourself. All you have to do is stop drinking."

The drunk snorted and downed the water. "Even if I could stop drinking, I never would. My life hasn't exactly been peaches and cream."

The man patted his shoulder. "Think about it this way. If you keep drinking, you're going to kill yourself. And then no matter how much you want to, you won't be able to drink anymore."

"I don't give a damn. It's not like anyone'll miss me. My wife died years ago, my daughters are married off and my sons are grown and have families of their own, and everyone else thinks I'm useless. Basically I'm the scourge of society," the drunk said.

The man sighed through his nose and shook his head.

"Getting frustrated?" the drunk asked.

He nodded. "A little."

"Enough to buy me a drink to get rid of me?"

"Not that much. It's just… you remind me of myself." The drunk looked up suspiciously at him. "I know I don't look it now, but for a long time, I was a complete wreck. I could barely drag myself out of bed in the morning, I almost never got dressed, rarely bathed…" He eyed the drunk. "I looked worse than you do right now. No one saw me, of course. I never left the house."

"What happened?" the drunk asked, sitting up and leaning against the bag of apples as the man put a cold compress on his forehead.

"Bandits. They…took almost everything that was special to me. I was inconsolable at the time…everyone tried to snap me out of it, but I wouldn't listen. One day I had a drink, and another, until I couldn't stop myself from needing the numbness it brought. But… everything has its consequences. I came out of a drunken stupor one day, and… the thing that mattered most to me in the world was gone."

The drunk watched him as he pinched the bridge of his nose quickly, and he could have sworn he saw the man wipe away moisture from his eyes. "It was something I had taken for granted for the longest time. After that, I couldn't keep living the way I was. I couldn't bear the guilt and pain. So I cleaned myself up, and I've been looking ever since," the man finished.

The drunk looked down at his paws. "Wow…sorry. If it means anything coming from a useless drunk, I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."

The man smiled. "It means a lot coming from a man with a wealth of untapped potential. Can I trust that you won't be getting drunk as often?" he asked expectantly.

The drunk sighed. "I don't know if I completely believe what you said about me, but yeah, I'll try to lay off the booze."

"Good." He handed the drunk another cup. This one contained a green liquid, with the consistency of mud.

"Um…what the hell is this?" he asked.

"Its special herbs mixed with water. I always keep some on hand in case I have trouble controlling myself." The drunk shrugged and gulped it down as quickly as he could, grimacing at the bitter taste of the herbs. Over the next few moments, a shocked look engulfed his face.

"My headache…it's gone." The man smiled. "How did you do that? What's in that stuff anyway?" the drunk asked.

"Sorry, it's a family secret. You're welcome."

Slowly, for the first time in a very long while, a smile spread across the drunk's face. "Thank you. Not just for helping me with the hangover, but for the advice."

"It's no problem. I don't want any more people like who I was running around without at least getting a kick in the ass for what they're doing to themselves and others." He helped the drunk stand up and they exited the stand. "I have to go. I can't stop looking," the man said.

"Wait! This entire time, you haven't told me your name," the drunk said. He held out his paw for the man to shake. "Mine's Zhen."

The man shook his paw. "I'm Hao."

* * *

A/N: I am so, SO sorry! I honestly didn't mean for this update to take so long! I was actually clipping along at a good pace at the beginning of writing it, but right in the middle, my laptop's video card busted so my display was useless until a new one was installed. Which took two or three weeks. I swear I'll have another update up as soon as I can!

And on another note, all who read this go to my profile page and vote in the poll. It's actually important this time!

Please leave a review! Holla!


	28. Losing Confrontation

Matriarch

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda

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A/N: Before anyone reads this chapter: I don't know how it will effect all my readers, so if you're kind of sensitive, I'd grab a few tissues. Also, I'm sorry for not updating, but my computer broke again, and it had to spend another two weeks being fixed. I'm really going to try hard to update more often.

Chapter 28- Losing Confrontation

The due date was getting closer. Tigress was now well in her fourth month, and she had gone into confinement to ensure the baby's survival. At first she couldn't stand just sitting in her room all day, but she still did it for the sake of her child.

She found ways to occupy herself. She meditated. She had Viper and Crane deliver her scrolls from the Hall of Warriors for her to review. She took up her needle and thread again, and attempted to sew some baby clothes, but after a while decided that she would ask for assistance from Mrs. Cho next time she saw her. The best times for her were when Jiang came to visit.

He was still down in the village, living with Lin and Mr. Ping. Tigress herself had insisted that he stay there. She wanted him to have a normal life, and that was something the Jade Palace could not provide. The people who lived in the temple did amazing things, and they rose to greatness, but the teachings of kung fu could do nothing for someone who chose to live in the background. It was the one forbidden fruit of the Jade Palace.

Of course, if Jiang came up to Tigress one day, when he was older, and told her she wanted to learn kung fu, she wouldn't really mind… but for now he was happy living in the noodle shop. He was even happier when he had a chance to see his sissy.

He would tell her about his day, show her new pictures he'd drawn, and end up falling asleep in her lap every time. Of course, she had to share him with the rest of the five and, now, Master Shifu, but she didn't mind. It felt as if things were back to normal. When Jiang arrived through the front gates, with his smile and giggles, the Jade Palace took a new life in which everything was close-knit and happy—a time Tigress had never seen before.

It made her immensely happy.

The Jade Palace was no longer the place where she squandered her childhood and encountered disappointment after disappointment. It was now a place with happy memories that she was very proud to call home.

And Chen—he and Tigress had become almost inseparable. After she went into confinement, Chen made sure to check on her at any chance he got. He always joked that since she was no longer training, he had a lot more time on his hands. They would spend hours together in her room, talking about themselves, the baby, and mostly, Chen's parents. Having no known parentage of her own, she was fascinated about pretty much everything that came with having a real family.

At first it was a little strange, telling her things that seemed perfectly normal to him, and seeing the way she reacted, whether with wonder, confusion, or sadness that she had missed out on all of this.

With the growth of the emotional relationship between the two tigers, a physical relationship also came about. Every time he came to see her, he would greet her with a soft peck to the lips. He would rub her shoulders or back when they were sore. When she did leave her room, he would go with her, holding her hand the whole while. They were, in every way, an adorable couple.

"Chen, I'm pregnant and impatient, now get your paws off my eyes!" Tigress held her arms out in front of her and tried to feel around to see where she was. Chen nuzzled her and put her arms down.

"You're just going to have to be patient. Trust me, it's worth it."

He led her farther down the path, and finally brought her to a stop. "Will you uncover my eyes now?"

"Will you promise to be happy and not hug me too hard when you see this?" he asked. She crossed her arms over her chest. "It depends on if I like it. And even still, it's hard to form an opinion when I have no idea what it is!" She laughed when he blew a raspberry in her ear, and then pried his paws away from her eyes.

She smiled at him. "Now what did you want to show me?" He turned her head. Her eyes went wide.

They were on the same path that they had walked down when they made the first steps to getting to know each other. The cherry trees swayed slightly in the wind. They were beginning to lose their blossoms, and small green cherries were taking their place. The ground was carpeted with the fallen petals. At the end of the path, blocking the rest of the forest from view was a small, quaint cottage. It had a door, a roof, _two_ floors…

"Chen, what is this?" she asked quietly.

"It's a house. I built it for you in my spare time. I know it's not exactly a _siheyuan_, but I thought you might like it."

She looked from the house to him. "You built me a house in your spare time? How much spare time do you have?" Chen laughed.

"You'd be surprised how motivation can help. Does this mean you like it?"

She gazed at the house for a few moments, her smile growing over time. "It's wonderful. You really didn't have to though, this probably cost you a lot of money, and time…"

"Tigress, I wanted to do it. Now you and the baby will have a good place to live that's still close to the Jade Palace, but not so close to all the pointy objects and possible injuries."

Slowly Tigress' smile faded. She caught his eye. "What about you?"

He blinked. "What about me?"

"Will…will you be living in the house with us?" They stared at each other for a few moments.

Chen ran a paw through his fur. "Um… do you want me to live here with you?" Her eyes turned to the ground.

"Well…I…I mean…"

"Tigress!" Po huffed and puffed up to the tigers.

Tigress grit her teeth. "What is it, Po?" she asked.

"You might wanna come! We just got the message—I don't know if it really means anything, but still…"

"Spit it out, Panda!" she snapped.

"Lin spotted someone she thought she recognized in the village."

Tigress immediately knew what Po was talking about. The moment she had been waiting for had arrived—it was time to dispose of the scumbag that had hurt her baby brother so badly. At the very least she would get to mercilessly interrogate someone about his whereabouts. She turned away from the little house and headed back towards the Jade Palace.

"Tigress—Tigress, wait!" Chen caught up with her. "Are you sure this is a good idea? It's a long way down to the village, and you've been in confinement for a while…"

"This has to be taken care of now," she said.

"Why don't I go down there for you?"

"NO. I want to do this myself. Jiang is my baby brother."

"I know you're upset about this, but you have to think rationally—"

"I DON'T WANT TO THINK RATIONALLY! I WANT THIS MAN TO SUFFER!" Chen stared at her with wide eyes. She took a bracing breath. "Wait for me up at the Jade Palace. This shouldn't take too long." She continued through the forest until she came to the steps.

She picked up the pace. Her heart started beating faster. The baby kicked hard in her stomach. She stopped and put a paw on her belly. _Relax… it's just nerves. _Even though she didn't want to admit it, she was scared. She was scared that this man would still be violent, that he might hurt someone in the village… that he might have already gotten to Jiang. That's what made her heart beat the fastest.

She continued down the stairs, picking up the pace as she went. The baby continued to kick. She finally reached the bottom and crossed the bridge that joined the Jade Palace to the rest of the Valley of Peace. She didn't notice that everyone she passed stopped to stare at her protruding stomach. If she did, she was doing a marvelous job hiding it. She walked with a determined stride all the way to Mr. Ping's shop, keeping her head held high and her mind focused.

The shop was basically deserted, which was strange for this time of day. Mr. Ping, Master Shifu and Crane were standing around Lin, who was looking very distraught, wringing a dishrag tightly in her paws. Jiang was playing with his toys at one of the table, and a wide grin spread across his face when he saw her.

"Sissy's here!"

He ran over to her and latched himself onto one of her legs. She gently patted the top of his head, and he purred slightly. She turned her eyes back up to the adults in the restaurant, all of whom looked shocked.

"Po gave me the message," she said tersely.

Master Shifu frowned. "As concerned as you may be, Tigress, I cannot allow you to be present when we confront Hao."

"What? B-but Master…"

"No buts. This will be a very delicate situation, and we can't risk anyone losing their temper."

Tigress' eye twitched just a little. "Master, please, just let me handle this. I've been preparing myself for this for months."

"Preparing yourself for what? To take out any anger you've got hiding within your self-conscious on the one person you think deserves it most? Besides, you have no idea what state this man is in. He's potentially violent, and you don't exactly look like a threat."

Tigress narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "What's that supposed to mean?" One look at her expression and Master Shifu knew he had made a mistake.

"Well, it simply means…"

"Oh, I know what it means! It means you think I'm too fat to handle a drunk! Well let me tell you something, Mister I-Happen-To-Be-A-Kung-Fu-Master-So-I-Think-I-Know-Everything! I can do this just as well now as I could when I wasn't pregnant… and skinny."

"Perhaps so. But this must be handled very delicately. We can't risk your emotions getting in the way. That's my final word on the matter," he said.

Tigress exhaled sharply. "Master, this is not—"

"Hello? Is this establishment open?" All eyes turned to the doorway. A tall, lean tiger was standing there. He looked just as shocked as they were. A single word came out of his mouth.

"Lin."

Lin took a deep breath and stood. "Hao."

There were a few moments of silence, but after those were over, the couple ran to each other and embraced. Lin started to cry. Hao murmured into her shoulder, "Gods, I never thought I would see you again."

She gripped him tighter. "I love you."

He pulled out of the hug and smiled at her. "I love you too. And I missed you." A huge smile grew on her face, and she smashed their lips together. The others in the restaurant turned their heads away, their cheeks burning, except for Tigress, who was burning holes into the back of Lin's head.

She cleared her throat, and the couple stopped to look at her. Lin sheepishly let go of her husband and clasped her hands behind her back meekly. Hao looked very confused at his wife's sudden change in emotions. "Am I missing something?" he asked warily.

Tigress took a step toward the tiger. "Why don't you tell me? Which were you missing more of when you were beating your child senseless? Mercy, or remorse? Or how about common sense?"

Hao's face fell and displayed a tight feeling of pain. "Oh… I see."

Tigress nodded coldly. "I bet you do. Did you even notice when your son, _your child_, wasn't in the house anymore? Did you even care?"

Master Shifu slightly tapped Tigress' leg. "Don't lose your temper. I want for you to wait for this to be over upstairs."

"No! I want to give him exactly what he deserves!"

"Hao, tell them. Tell them that you would never hit our child," Lin pleaded. She lightly grasped his paws and squeezed them. Hao gazed into her eyes and tried to smile, then looked at Tigress. She was smirking, waiting for his answer. He looked back at Lin and squeezed her paw back. He exhaled sharply.

"I can't lie to my wife."

Lin's smile slowly melted away. "Wha-what are you saying?"

"He's saying that he did it. Now do you believe me?" Tigress asked frustratedly.

Lin just shook her head. "No… no. You couldn't. You wouldn't. Tell them that you didn't, Hao!"

"Lin, just let me explain…"

"What's there to explain? You got drunk and then hit your son!" Tigress yelled.

"…I was completely devastated after I lost you to those bandits…"

"Apparently enough to forget your responsibilities!"

"…I went a little out of control…"

"You got drunk for who knows how long!"

"…I swear, I barely remember anything."

"And you expect that excuse to get you out of this? You make me sick!" Tigress spat.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Lin shrieked. Tigress actually shrunk back. "YOU COULD AT LEAST LET HAO SPEAK BEFORE YOU START WITH YOUR INCESSENT JUDGMENTS! IS NOTHING GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU BUT YOURSELF?"

At the end of her tirade, Lin was breathing heavily. Tigress was silent, staring at Lin with wide eyes. "We need to hear Hao's side of the story before we decide if he should be punished or not," Lin said. Her voice was once again soft and sweet.

Crane gently put a wing on Tigress' shoulder. "Are you alright?" he whispered. Tigress nodded.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? I'm just fine." She waddled over to one of the empty tables and lowered herself onto a seat. She felt something grasp at her ankle. She attempted to bend down to see who it was, but her large belly stopped her.

"Jiang, sweetheart, if that's you, please come out. I'm not as flexible as I used to be."

Two small ears peaked out from beyond her stomach. "Make him go away, Sissy," a small voice whimpered. Tigress sighed through her nose and managed to pick Jiang up off the floor.

"You're a little scared?" she asked. He nodded and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I don't want him to hit me," he said.

She kissed his nose. "It'll be okay, sweetheart. I'll keep you safe. I promised, didn't I?" She held him close and whispered comforting words to keep him calm. Jiang put a little paw on her stomach and smiled up at her. She smiled back and covered his paw with hers.

A searing pain shot up from her abdomen.

"Ahhh!"

Her knees hit the floor with a thud, sending a shock of pain up from there as well. Tigress heard Jiang cry out and could hear Master Shifu and Crane asking her what was wrong. Another flash of pain came over her.

"It hurts!"

"Tigress!" She registered the voice as a male's. "What's wrong with her? What happened?"

"I don't know, she just started acting like that!" The voices around her got softer and fuzzier as the pain got worse. She felt Jiang tugging on the hem of her dress. Tears squeezed out of her eyes. Everything around her was fading away. Tigress thought she was going to faint.

Through the black Tigress felt a warm paw on her shoulder gently guiding her up from the floor. She let it, since it was the only tangible thing she had at the moment. She followed the paw, but eventually it was gone too, and then there was nothing.

* * *

A little bit of light came through the nothing. Tigress reached for it, and it grew, until she was staring up at a plaster ceiling.

Her head was buzzing and throbbing. Her body ached. Her lips were dry and chapped. She wanted water. Someone must have been reading her mind, because a cup was placed against her lips, and cool liquid washed down her sore throat.

"What happened?" she asked.

Her voice was raspy. A face appeared in her line of vision. It was male, and one she had, for many weeks, wanted to punch out. "Feeling a little better?" he asked. His voice was soft and soothing. She knit her brow. He helped her sit up.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I need you to sit up so I can examine you."

"I mean, what are you doing here?" she asked. Hao sighed and avoided her eyes.

"Trying to make up for the worst mistake of my life."

Tigress crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "You can't just show up here and expect to be forgiven. Do you realize what you did to that boy? You nearly crushed him. You could have _killed_ him."

"I know. And I know that I won't be forgiven easily. But I want to at least try to make things better. Even if I never get to see Jiang again, at least I'll know I tried instead of just forgetting about him and Lin and starting over again. Believe it or not, I do have some honor."

Tigress scoffed. "Honor? You don't deserve honor anymore."

He nodded. "You're probably right. I'm disgusted with myself, to be honest. But what I said out there was true. I barely remember anything from the months I spent… sodden. I'm surprised I didn't kill myself with my heavy drinking. I was drinking enough to cut the thread of life of more than one man. Maybe a little ghost of my former self was floating around, waiting for me to see what I had done with my life. I'm not sure, but I survived this for a reason, and I'm not going to make any more mistakes like that."

"How can we trust you? How can anyone trust you?" Tigress demanded.

Hao looked into her eyes. "For the same reason everyone trusts you with Jiang. Because you love him and you want only the best for him. If that means that this is the last time I ever see him, or Lin, then I'm okay with that. Just as long as they're both happy and safe."

Tigress glared. She wanted to hurt this man. She wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp. At the same time, however, she could never do that. As much as she didn't want to admit it, they were on the same side.

He wasn't a drunk who was sloshing around in the streets.

He wasn't trying to reclaim his wife and child and just leave, never to think of the Valley again.

He was trying to help Jiang. That hurt her a lot.

Nothing was going the way she had imagined. Everything was different. _At least you still have your friends, and Chen. And soon you'll have your own little one to worry about._ She placed a paw on her stomach, expecting the baby to kick. But there was nothing. Something was wrong.

She looked down at her stomach. It wasn't as big as it had been before she blacked out. Her breath started to quicken. _What's going on? What's happened?_ Despite her still intense hatred and suspicion, Hao was the only one with her who could know what happened.

She looked up at him. Her eyes were fearful. She prayed to Guan Yin that he would chuckle and tell her everything would be fine, and then the baby would kick, as strong as ever. She waited for him to react this way. He didn't . He grimaced.

"I supposed you've noticed now. I'm very sorry, Master Tigress, but you had a miscarriage. It was what caused you to black out like that."

Tigress' heart stopped in her chest. "But… my baby's alright, isn't it? Just because I had a miscarriage doesn't mean that it's hurt, does it?" she asked fretfully. Her prayers kept circling in her mind. Hao sighed.

"I'm sorry. What happened was you were beginning to go into labor, but something went wrong. I'm not quite sure what happened, but it did. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the baby was stillborn, Master Tigress."

Tigress shook her head. "No… that's not possible! I've been pregnant for three months… my due date isn't for three weeks! I can't have…"

She waited for him to indicate that this was all some sort of sick practical joke and Master Shifu would throw him in prison for even considering playing with her emotions in this way. His expression stayed serious, though. He patted her shoulder.

"As terrible as it is, stillborns are common. It's unusual in these days for a woman to have all her children born alive and healthy, and even if they survive birthing, they're at risk. You should in no way blame yourself for this. As far as I can tell by my examination of the fetus, it was completely healthy. Sometimes… these things just happen."

Tigress couldn't stand it anymore. She cried, tears washing heavily down her cheeks. She blocked out everything around her.

The door to the room opened. Chen stood there, looking just as scared as Tigress had been. He saw Tigress crying and immediately went to her side. When she felt him close to her, she threw her arms around him and outright sobbed. Chen looked to Hao for answers.

Hao couldn't look at either of them.

A/N: Read and Review, please.


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